Misperception
by Cookirini
Summary: No matter what I do, or how much time passes, I still imagine her, vividly smiling back at me. Sometimes it feels too real. Its as if Small Lady still exists somewhere, waiting to meet me...Based on Dejana Talis' Misconception.
1. Madman in the Attic

_It never ends, does it?_

_Every day, every night, it tears into me. It is like a knife cutting inside my ribcage, causing my heart to bleed within its chest. It's a pain thousands of times worse than anything else I've felt before._

_The truth. The truth hurts like a ton of bricks. And yet that is why the truth is always being thrown back at me without recourse. The same anger, the same resentment, is repeated over and over so that my agony has no end. _

_I am not loved. I was never loved, and never will be loved. That I am cursed to be a pariah is something they made sure I knew. That I was shunned was something they made sure that I would bear for the rest of my life. That they locked me away from the world in shame, that they deprived me of something I never should have lost, as if I were a criminal. I was sentenced to this life and to the crime before I was even able to walk or talk or remember. It is a burden that I will never get rid of._

_Or is it? _

_Maybe today, in this strange new place, there is a solution. It must be possible if I am here. And since I'm here, among the equals I never knew I possessed, I only have one wish. _

_I want an end to the years of pain, and to the inadequacies that caused it. I want to take what is rightfully mine, and at last be accepted by those who should have loved me from the start. There is only one choice in how I will fulfill my mission _

_I must utterly destroy the one who usurped my parents' minds and hearts before I was even born. I will make that person suffer as I suffered, only more. I will show them my pain, I will finally release my anger. And then, I will take their life away as they took mine._

_I will accept nothing less than that..._


	2. Stranger in my Bed

_We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love... and then we return home. - _Aboriginal Austrailian proverb

**MISPERCEPTION**

_**Stranger in my Bed**_

_"Then, I will fight. I will fight for my lost sister..."_

Princess Naru Neo-Lady Serenity lay in her bed quietly, looking out the window to the city below. Her mind was swirling with many different thoughts as she struggled to sleep. It didn't come easily to her; there was too much that she was absorbing in her mind from the past week, perhaps even from her entire life.

It was perfectly plausible. A year and a half ago, she was just Chibi Naru, the mistake, the one her parents cried over for not being someone else. That had been the way it was for many, many years. Now, all of a sudden, she was the beloved only child of Serenity and Endymion. Yet this new, happier epoch of her life was still too minuscule in comparison with the centuries of futile attempts to get her parents to accept her for herself.

As such, it was still mind boggling to her to go so far so quickly.

"Hmmmmph." Naru wearily looked at her overgrown collection of stuffed toys, given to her throughout the years of guilt, as they sat in the dark. "What are _you_ all looking at?"

She was very tired; she had spent the entire day training with Mars and Jupiter. It was physically punishing, with push ups, weight lifting, cardiovascular fitness and martial arts, with two hours of meditation in between. The two soldiers explained to her that she was a bit out of the loop (though they had forgotten why) and so they needed to get her in tip-top shape for the duties that lay ahead. The Black Moon war was over, but Naru was still a defender of Crystal Tokyo; her mind and body had to be prepared.

_I wonder when they'll send me to the past. I wonder..._

Naru still could not get her mind off of the forgotten sister, the one she had erased with her existence. Small Lady's presence still lingered with her, smiling and laughing in her thoughts. They had never met one another, yet the pink-haired princess that her friends and family had worshiped had had such an effect on her life. No one else could remember, but somehow, she did.

She still felt guilt over it, as if she had still murdered the child. The thought hurt far less than before, since no one reminded her of it every day, but it still hurt.

_I'm sorry._

Naru's mind began to wander. It had been a long day, and her head was hurting. Every time she looked at her collection of toys, they looked like they were twitching or winking at her; it was annoying.

At this, her mind started going to what she could with the abundance of toys she had. She had so many different toys, of different sizes, different colors and different animals, from all over the world. She had no clue what to do with them anymore. Some of them were very old and very valuable. Selling them was obviously out of the question; Naru didn't need the money.

_I could donate them._

In front of her, a pink rabbit twitched. Naru sighed; she had been given the pink rabbit by Jupiter on her birthday, almost as a reminder who was really loved back then. Then it had been taken away; but after she became Sailor Moon, it had mysteriously reappeared. That, too, was a very valuable plush; it was part of a doll series called Rainbow Rabbits, and was the rarest of the bunch. That alone had people trying to buy it from her right off the streets.

_Maybe...a toy museum..._

Naru's eyes started to finally close. The more they did so, the more it looked like the rabbit was shaking and bending, and the more it shook. Naru chalked it up to double vision, and exhaustion. So her lids closed fully.

The rabbit shook and bent so violently that it almost fell off the shelf and ripped itself apart.

_Naru._

Naru's eyes burst open at this. The rabbit's mouth opened, stuffing and thread flying everywhere as light spread out from it, accompanied by a single blast of wind, as if the rabbit was roaring of its own accord, throwing the entire room into disarray on contact.

_Naru-chan..._

Naru had no time to react as the wind threw her back down on the bed. Her blue hair was tossed about, as were all of her blankets and pillows. Her head was spinning from the impact as she struggled to get up.

_An enemy..! What.?_

Naru managed to sit up in her bed, but she was dazed by the hit she'd taken. Double vision made the shadows of several thousand toys stare back at her, revolving in front of her in circles like they were square dancing. At the center were two brightly illuminated rabbits, the mouths ripped open with stuffing falling out.

_"Ooohhaayo!"_

Then from the light came two relatively large shadowed figures, their voices echoing a salutation into Naru's ringing ears. Slowly, they merged into one smaller figure, and as they did, the light behind this figure died down, though it still pulsed with a great deal of power.

"..Finally." Naru's senses fully returned as the shadowed figure spoke again, its head turning around as it did so. "Hmm. The view of the city outside, the room lined with crystal, the red carpet, the portrait of the queen over the bed...and you," At this, the figure nodded towards Naru. "Yup, this is it all right! It's even the same bed I sleep in!"

"What the..."

"Hey! I found it!" The figure turned back to the pulsing plush rabbit and talked to it with a high-pitched voice. "Guys, I found the entrance point! Quick, keep the portal open!"

"..._hell_?"

Instinctively, Naru's hands flew towards the lamp and fumbled around for the switch. Finally, she found it, and she literally threw it on to face her intruder.

"Ugh...! Who..."

Naru blinked as the light blinded her momentarily; she had to shut her eyes tightly to help herself adjust after hours of darkness. After blinking several times, her eyes settled onto the newcomer, first with confusion, then in disbelief. Finally, she was staring at the figure in total shock.

_...You._

The face was still cherubic and square with baby fat, though the body had significantly changed; she looked more like a short preteen than a little girl. But there was no mistaking who it was that was standing before Naru. There could be no mistaking it, not with the magenta eyes, and the cotton candy pink hair tied up in two oval buns, with strands of hair falling from them.

_It can't be._

"...Small Lady..."

"Hello." The girl that didn't exist smiled at Naru as she held out her hand. "You must be the daughter of the Mom and Dad of here!"

"Mom...and Dad...?" Naru was still numbly staring at Chibi-Usa, her mouth open. "uh...?"

"I'm their daughter too! Just not here.." Chibi-Usa took up Naru's hand and shook it for her when Naru didn't respond. "So, how are you? How's it going?"

"...Uh?"

"...That's good!" Chibi-Usa smiled, though sweat started to appear on her brow. "Well, we don't have much time, right? Everyone will sense the fold in space and come here to kill me because they don't know who I am, right? So, let's go!"

"...Uh?"

"...You're not exactly very eloquent, are you?"

"...what?"

Chibi-Usa sighed as she marched over to Naru's closet and took out a random outfit from her hangers. She then fished out a backpack from the bottom of the closet and threw the clothing in.

"Ok, you're...almost all packed!" Chibi-Usa's eyes darted around as she threw in other various items. "You don't happen to also keep your toothbrush in your bedroom, do you? I don't want to attract much more attention-"

"**_Chibi-Usaaaaa!_**"

Naru's eyes widened as the rabbit suddenly flashed brightly. Sparkles of light danced on the ceiling and walls.

"Aaack!"

"**_Chibi-Usa-chaaaan!_**" A voice that sounded eerily like Sailor Venus' echoed from the rabbit. "**_Hurry uuuuuup! What's taaaaking so long!_**"

"I'm hurrying!" Chibi-Usa slung the backpack on her back and grabbed Naru's hand. "Ok, time to go now!"

"This...can't be..." Naru stared at Chibi-Usa's hand. "You...don't exist..."

"Well, of _course_ I don't exist _here_." Ignoring the fact that Naru finally acknowledged her, Chibi-Usa managed to drag Naru out of her bed standing up. "That's because I don't _live_ here. Now, did you go to the bathroom before you went to bed?"

"I'm...dead..."

"**_Huuuuurry uuuuuuuuup!_**" The voice whined. "**_The censors are indicating that the soldiers there have sensed the fooooold!_**"

"I'm _hurrying_!" Chibi-Usa huffed. "I have to get her ready."

"**_But they're coming!_**"

"Please, it will take them fifteen minutes to get down here."

"**_And how do _you _know!_**"

"Because I live in the Crystal Palace too!"

"**_...Fine. But HURRY! My thighs are chafing! Grass is growing faster! Paint is drying quicker! I-_**"

"I _get_ it." Chibi-Usa took Naru towards the rabbit. "It's ok. I'm not a ghost, I promise."

"Small Lady..."

Naru looked at the girl in front of her, then at the glowing rabbit. Then, she looked down at her hand, touched by Chibi-Usa. It was warm.

_This is not a dream...?_

"It's time to go."

"**_About time! Cooome to the liiiight..._**"

"Seriously." Chibi-Usa glared at the rabbit. "Stop it!"

"**_Heehee. Sorry, I'll shut up now._**"

"I..." Naru looked at Chibi-Usa. "Is this real?"

"Of course it is," Chibi-Usa nodded. "I may not exist here, but there are other places. Other places, and other children."

"Other..."

"It's time to go."

Chibi-Usa raised her hand up, and touched the rabbit. Suddenly, the rabbit turned bright white, and the two were immersed in its light. Naru's eyes widened as she was overtaken, unsure of what was happening. She was hoping and praying that it was just a dream; that she'd wake up and see that her toys weren't messed with, that her room was untouched, that everything was as it had been when she had fallen asleep.

"Hey, hey!" She suddenly felt a hand squeeze hers tightly. "Don't let go! You'll get lost!"

Naru winced and wiggled, turning back towards the room, only to find the light swallowing it up. She felt dizzy as the wind intensified; the struggle to keep herself awake felt too real to be a dream. Even as her nonexistent sister was squeezing her hand even tighter.

"_Hdfsjdjkfhd...cnvfituefiFHEISQfjdksf..."_

Voices. There were voices all around her. Different sensations that she could not discern from her own sense of reality. The voices, and the wind, and the sensation of being pulled by hundreds of hands at ones, threatened to tear her apart.

"_Ydcncjhdc! JHJjkdhsfjnvdsi!"_

So Naru shut her eyes tightly, hoping that whatever was happening would end, hoping that she really wasn't losing her mind. Even as the howling wind died down, and was replaced with a cool breeze, she refused to look at her surroundings.

She didn't want to see what was next, even as it became inevitable that she would have to, eventually, open her eyes.

* * *

_"Misperception" isan unofficialfanwork sequalbased on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission._


	3. Children of the Worlds

**MISPERCEPTION**

**Children of the Worlds**

"..Um..you can open you eyes now."

Chibi-Usa looked at her blue-haired "sister" with a quizzical look. It had been almost five minutes since they had folded to their destination, and Naru's eyes were still closed so tightly that Chibi-Usa thought she could hear the screaming brain cells as they combusted.

"Hello?" She poked Naru. "It's safe. You can, urm, open your eyes now."

"...Am I dead?"

"What! _No_!" Chibi-Usa blinked. "Why would you think that?"

"Because..you don't exist. Small Lady, the original daughter of my parents. You were erased. Destroyed...by my birth..." Naru opened up an eye. "I .you _were_ erased, right?"

"Erased?" Chibi-Usa looked up, tapping a finger on her chin. "Well, you're asking that, I obviously don't live where you live. That doesn't mean I'm gone from _everywhere_, though, since this is my home."

"..What do you mean, gone form everywhere?" Naru opened her other eye. "Where...are we, Small Lady...?"

"Chibi-Usa."

"Huh?"

"Call me Chibi-Usa." The girl beamed. "I am Chibi-Usa...and you are in Tokyo."

The deep voice that suddenly responded caused Naru to jump up. Something about it scared her initially, as if it were the voice of a long forgotten enemy. Turning to face the enemy, however, was another matter.

"So.." Naru's eyes opened, then widened, at the sight of the new voice's owner. "You are Chiba Naru. Welcome, princess to the turn of the 20th century."

She was in her mid twenties, and very tall, her height comparable to that of Naru's father, with thick, tawny hair almost carelessly put into a loose ponytail. She wore blue jeans and a white button down shirt over a green turtleneck, the former which was barely covering her somewhat ample bust.

"Ah, _there_ you are." Chibi-Usa smiled. "I was wondering where you went after you turned that machine off."

"I've been here the whole time."

"You...what.?"

"Don't be nervous." Purple eyes smiled alongside the face as Naru stared at her. "I'm so glad we managed to get you here. Tell me, how is Serenity and Endymion where you're from?"

"...Uh?"

"..Naru-chan? I can call you that, right?" Chibi-Usa gulped. "Naru-chan?"

"..I think she's still in shock, Chibi-Usa-chan." Another hand suddenly waved in front of Naru's face. "Yeah, it hasn't sunk in yet that she's left her world."

"It's ok, Venus." Naru heard the name, and turned to see that it was indeed Venus, albeit as a civilian. "Aah, and she recognizes you. That's good."

"Heh." The blonde grinned. "Yeah, it is!"

Naru looked around for a moment, trying to take in the surroundings. It was the old Earth she was in, this was true; no crystals lined the buildings, no palace dominated the landscape. There were trees and sidewalks and birds singing all around her, and people gathers to the right of her near a set of swings.

"The Old Earth."

"It is Tokyo in October of 1999, to be exact." Naru turned back to see the older woman bow to her. "It is a pleasure meeting you here, in a neutral setting, princess. My name is Chiba Tourmaline."

"Chiba..?" Naru gasped. "But how? My father didn't have a sister."

"He didn't." The woman looked back up at Naru. "He had a daughter instead."

"A.."

Naru's eyes became as wide as saucers at this. She started to back away from the woman, not sure if the woman was insane or just lying.

_My father...with...with.._

"Hooold it!" She felt the civilian Venus' hands on her shoulders with a giggle. "It's not what you think, you silly mongoose. Tourmaline-san is Endymion's daughter from another continuum!"

"I think that's just a _goose_, Minako-chan."

"Another..." Naru turned to Venus with a gasp. "You mean like another dimension?"

"Yeah, sure." Venus shrugged. "Whatever it's called."

"Yes, Naru." Tourmaline stood up. "I am his daughter from another dimension, just as you are, at least here. We are in the 15th dimension, where Serenity and Endymion had one daughter, Chibi-Usa." At this, Chibi-Usa waved to Naru. "You are from the 35th dimension, and I am from the 62nd."

"Other dimensions." Naru looked down. "Sailor Mercury told me that the existence of other dimensions was theoretical at best."

"It is a fact, Naru." Tourmaline nodded. "It was always possible. And in my dimension, we have the best means to travel to other places. That is why I decided to gather everyone."

"Everyone.?"

"The other children."

At this, the woman pointed to the group that was to Naru's right, and Naru turned towards them. She stared for a moment, taking in what she was seeing. Then, slowly, she began to walk towards them.

_...wow..._

There were kids and adults of all shapes, sizes and genders. Male, female, short, tall, thin, fat, dark and light skinned. There were hair colors that Naru had never even imagined, which said a lot as Naru's own hair was a very wild color on its own. They were amongst the other sailor soldiers that she knew - Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, even Pluto - and a few soldiers that Naru didn't remember hearing of.

"Go on," She heard Tourmaline's voice encourage her. "Go on to them."

"Pretty cool, hmm?" Chibi-Usa smiled. "They're mostly nice too. A couple of them are mean, like that one from...where ever he called it. But...well, what can you do about them?"

"All of them.." Naru kept walking, awed by the spectacle. "They are _all_ my parents' children?"

"Yes and no," Tourmaline responded. "Many of them are the offspring of Serenity and Endymion in their respective dimensions, but not all of them. Some just have Serenity as a mother, or Endymion a father. Like myself."

"Like."

"Tourmaline-san's mother," At this, Venus paused hesitantly. "Her mother is Queen Beryl."

".._Who_?"

"Never mind!" Seeing that Naru did not really know who Beryl was, Venus quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, go meet your brothers and sisters! They've all been waiting for you."

"I don't know..."

"_Heeeeeey!_" Before Naru could finish her protest, Venus waved to the large group. "Heeeeey, here's another one!"

The entire group stopped what they were doing to look at the newcomer. Naru felt herself turn bright red when she saw all the eyes, every different color and size, staring right at her, waiting for her to say something. She was still in shock over the whole affair of other dimensions, and could find nothing to say.

"Aaaaye!" Fortunately, someone in the crowd found words for her. "Hey there!"

"H.." Naru realized she had no choice. "Hello.."

"_Wazzaaaap!_"

A good part of the throng ganged up on her, immediately pounding her with questions and insinuations. Naru, on her part, wanted to run away. It was just a tad too much love from people she had never even imagined.

"What's your name? What's your name!"

"Are you Naru? My name is Naru too!"

"So you're parents were Serenity and Endymion, hmm?"

"Ewww, another girl! _Ewww_!"

"_Sie mögen Musik? Ich spiele eine Guitarre._"

"..Can I kill her now?"

"_No!_"

"Outta my way, I wanna see!"

"Who wants to play charades!"

"COOKIE! COOKIE _NOW_!"

"Amazing. Blue hair. I like it."

"I don't."

"Well, screw you."

"How old are you, Naru? I'm 12."

"_¿Por qué no estáis un muchacho?_"

"But I i want /i to kill her. Her chin irritates me."

"**HELLO!**"

Suddenly, Naru was bombarded from behind by a bear hug, which sent her tumbling to the ground. At this, the group stopped, seeing who it was that attacked, and began to back away slightly.

"Oh dear."

"Cover your ears!"

"**HI!**"

The scream resumed, right into Naru's ears. She turned to see a girl, no more than eight years old, with lavender hair pulled into two oval buns, and with wide blue eyes just like her mother. The little girl had a wide beam on her cookie crumb-caked face.

"**HELLOOOOO!**" Naru swore that her hair was flying back from the force of the girl's vocal chords being belted out. "HOW ARE YOU! I'M KOUSAGI FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION AND I LIKE COOKIES!"

"_Ow!_"

"HOW DO YOU LIKE MY VOICE?" Naru's eyes watered from the sound reverberation. "IT'S REALLY LOUD, ISN'T IT? **MY VOICE IS LOUDER THAN ANYONE'S EVER**!"

"Buuuuuuh..stooooop.."

"IT'S LOUDER THAN JUDY'S VOICE, SO THERE!" Naru almost though she heard a bird squawk as it combusted the moment the girl raised her voice even higher. "**LA LA LA, JUDY CAN'T SCREAM! JUDY CAN'T SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM LIKE I CAN SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM BECAUSE YOU SCREAM FOR ICE CRE-**"

"_That's enough, Kousagi-chan!_"

Naru looked up at the voice; it sounded familiar, just like Venus' had, only it was younger sounding. She was sure it was one of the soldiers, and she was correct; a tall, brown-haired girl stared down at Kousagi, her hands folded.

"Enough of that, Tsukino Kousagi-chan." Jupiter gave Kousagi an authoritative look. "What would your mother do to you if she heard you making this kind of racket?"

"_Ko_usagi?"

"THAT'S EASY!" Naru threw her hands onto her ears as Kousagi screamed out a reply. "SHE'D SEND ME TO MY ROOM WITH NO DESSERT-"

"_Lower_ your voice." At this, Mars suddenly appeared, a frown on her face. "Charleston Judy-chan already forfeit the screaming game to you."

"WHEN?"

"Ten minutes ago." The authoritative look disappeared, and a small smirk appeared on Jupiter's face. "But you were too busy screaming out 'Automatic' to even notice that, right?"

"..I was?"

"Yes you were."

"..Oh." The girl whimpered, tears forming in her eyes. "I..I didn't mean..I."

"It's ok." With a smile, Rei took Kousagi by the hand and lifted her off of Naru's back. "Come on, let's go get that ice cream, hmm?"

"..ICE CREAM! YAAAAAY ICE CREAM!" The screaming suddenly resumed. "ICE CREAM-"

"_Kousagi-chan._"

"Oh. Sorry." The little girl giggled as she waved to Naru. "Nice to meet you!...Rei-onee, I want three scoops of chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and nuts...and fudge..and marshmallow...and peanut butter..vanilla."

Naru marveled as the two walked off, her memories conjuring up the sight of Sailor Mars walking away from her, empty-handed and with a frown of disappointment. It was still strange to see the sight of a happy Mars, let alone a happy Jupiter.

"Sorry.." Naru took the hand held out by Jupiter and pulled herself up. "So you're Chiba Chibi-Naru, from the, uh, 35th dimension? Nice to meet you."

"Well, I." Naru looked up at Jupiter in surprise. "I...It's nice to meet you too, I guess."

"Hmm." Jupiter nodded. "I'm guessing you're a bit surprised by all of this. The different dimensions and stuff. Don't worry; I'm still kind of stymied myself as to why and how all this happened!"

At this, the civilian Jupiter laughed, something which Naru had also never seen her Jupiter do. Her head went down, her face red.

"Well." Jupiter's green eyes suddenly shifted about. "I'd better be going. There're a few more like Kousagi-chan that need tending to and ice cream to placate them with. So...if you'll excuse me..."

With a pat on the back and a smile, Jupiter left Naru by herself to collect her thoughts. She looked over at Jupiter as she left, silently watching as several little kids gathered around her and cheered at the prospect of ice cream.

_So happy..._ Naru looked down. _So happy with those different kids. Not like...back when I was younger...I guess this is another dimension._

At this, she looked over and saw Chibi-Usa, her face beaming as she talked to a young boy with a moon sign on his forehead. Behind her, several other children were running around the park, tumbling in the grass and laughing, as if they had somehow known each other their entire lives.

"It's sick, isn't it?"

Naru's head turned at the sound of the low, raspy voice, expecting a tall man. She had to look down to see her new companion, but the effect was still the same; she felt a chill go down her spine at the site that she beheld.

"Greetings, newcomer." A shadow surrounded whomever was talking to her. "I see you are a pure spawn of the moon couple, like I am. Not like half of these rats, who have some random floozy or shirt-chaser that contributed to their meaningless existence."

"Meaningless existence?" Naru's eye twitched slightly at the phrase, which brought back unwanted memories. "That's harsh of you."

"Oh, have I offended your weak-hearted sensibilities?" Two red eyes flashed in the fog. "Well, that's just too bad for you, newcomer."

The fog cleared, and the figure beneath it appeared in plain view of Naru. Instinctively, Naru reached for her pocket, as if to fish out her transformation pen. It was clear to her that the person in front of her was no friend of hers, and his dim red aura was nothing short of evil.

"For I am Vazgorth, royal moon prince of Xaxalax, formerly known by the ugly name of Earth." The boy couldn't be any more than ten years old, but he wore all black, and had obsidian eyes that glared evilly at Naru. He raised his hand up. "Now that I have your attention, newcomer, allow me to demonstrate to you how I shall slaughter the weakling masses on this pitiful neutral Earth in the name of my mother and father, Tyrant Seranezar and Tyrant Enzayamadon, merely by lifting my pinky finger. Then, these false children shall cry for their gods as the rebellious people of Xaxalax cry for mercy-"

"Oh, no you won't."

Suddenly, a tall boy stepped in and firmly grabbed the younger boy's black-armored arm. With a snarl, the boy tried to pull away, but could not. The power that glowed from him dissipated in a flash.

"You _dare_ mess with me, cur?" Vazgorth stared at the newcomer with contempt. "You have no idea the powers you mess with. Once my mother and father find that you have taken me from their Citadel against my will they wi-"

"Your powers don't work so wonderfully in this dimension." The evil creature was cut off curtly by the older boy. "All you can do is turn people into frogs, which doesn't seem to suit a little brat like you."

"Why you-"

"So why don't you run along and kill some spiders or something?"

With an angry grunt, and no reasonable response, the younger boy yanked his arm away and ran off, glaring occasionally over his shoulder as he did so. Naru felt a sigh of relief come from her mouth as she looked over to the person who saved her. He had bright red hair, somewhat shaped into a mohawk, and red eyes that shone like rubies.

"..Sorry about that." With a slight, awkward smile, the boy nodded his head and adjusted his dark blue turtleneck. "Vazgorth comes from the 23rd dimension, where the two parents are...well, evil."

"Oh...that's ok." Naru looked down. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." The boy looked down. "So...you must be Chiba Naru Neo-Lady Serenity."

"I..." Naru looked back up with surprise. "How did you know?"

"I've heard of you." The boy still looked down. "It took the girls a little while to contact with your dimension with their machine."

"I...see..."

Naru suddenly found herself at a loss for words. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that rendered her speechless. As the boy looked back up at her, however, she felt a strange tinge of familiarity, of intimacy. She wasn't sure if it was because they were children of similar stock, or something deeper.

Either way, she suddenly felt better to see the boy.

"Yes, that's me." Naru felt herself blush slightly as she looked at him again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir...hmmm...?"

"Casper." He held out his hand, and she did likewise to shake it. His handshake was form, though the warmth from it felt retrained. "My name is Casper."

"And your last name...?"

"...My last name is...unimportant." The boy gave another slight, awkward smile. "After all, my parents are the same as yours."

"Serenity and Endymion?"

"Yeah, I guess." Casper slowly nodded. "Anyways, I...it's a pleasure to meet you. You look wonderful in...your pajamas."

"My...?"

Naru looked down and felt herself turn even redder. She had completely forgotten that she had entered into the new dimension after being thrown out of bed, and she was still wearing her top and bunny-patterned pajama bottoms.

"Ooooh...!" Naru covered her face in embarrassment. "Just a second...I'll be right back...Casper..."

"It's no problem." Casper nodded again. "Do what you need to do."

"_Thanks!_"

With that, Naru turned and ran off, past several dozen kids and a soccer match. She remembered that Chibi-Usa had packed a bag for her; hopefully, she had packed something to wear in public for her.

_Casper...you seem very nice. I want to know you better..._

----------------

Casper quietly watched as Naru left his sight. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and took out a small red handle.

_Hmm._ With a snap, a small blade popped out. He ran his finger over the blunt side of the blade before reaching into his other pocket. _So that was her...that was..._

"Casper." The boy's head came up at the sound of the voice. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Out of his other pocket came a small piece of wood. "I'm just thinking."

"I'm guessing you met the newcomer, Naru Neo-Lady Serenity?"

"Well..." Casper paused as he turned around. "I..."

"You should choose your words wisely, Casper." A girl with shoulder-length royal purple hair and purple eyes stared back at him. "We all know about you."

"And what do you think I would do to her, Hitoko-chan?"

"...Well." The girl looked down. "I'm not sure. What _would_ you do?"

"...Invite her to our table, of course." With a huff, Casper turned away. "I'm not _that_ kind of person."

"Are you sure of that?"

There was a silence at this.

"I'm...sure of it." After some hesitation, Casper nodded. "Now, you go off and tell the others I'll be right back. I'm waiting for someone."

"Very well." Hitoko turned and walked off. "Don't be too long. And don't do anything stupid..."

With that, she walked off, her hands behind her back, leaving the red-haired teen on his own. He simply looked back towards the direction that Naru had left, his eyes lowering and his face darkening as he began to whittle on the piece of wood.

_...Princess Naru...so this is it..._

_You're here..._

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission._


	4. Friends on the Grass

**MISPERCEPTION**

_**Friends on the Grass**_

"Well! It's a good thing Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san are down in Nagasaki today."

Kaiou Michiru sat down at the metallic park table, placing two huge drink flasks onto the table. She looked at the faces of the women who were sitting with her as she set a bag onto the table as well; Haruka, Setsuna sat with their teacups gratefully stretched out to her.

"I'll have to agree with that sentiment, Michiru. They may have had a heart attack looking at all their children if they were here." Setsuna nodded. "And welcome back from Hanamasa. Is that tea and coffee you've got in there?"

"Camomile and regular black coffee, just as you all ordered." Michiru unpacked the bag. "I also got some sugar, some creamer, and a box of fresh muffins for cheap."

"Excellent." Setsuna's cup was filled with tea. "This should last us until sunset."

"You're a life-saver, Mi-chan." Haruka smiled coyly as Michiru filled her cup with tea next. "You always were, you know."

"And you always knew how to flatter a woman, Haruka." Michiru then turned to her left. "How about you? Tea?"

"I'll have coffee, thank you."

Michiru nodded as she poured a cup of coffee for Tourmaline. She placed it in front of her and prepared to get out the creamer, but Tourmaline simply shook her head.

"You want it all black?"

"Well, I'll have sugar. But I'm not a big fan of creamer. Never have been."

"I see."

"You think we'll be all right like this?" Haruka looked around. "We are a bit apart from the crowd."

"I think we'll be all right." Setsuna turned towards the groves that lay behind them. "Though what's happening right now still boggles my mind. So many different time lines, the product of so many different realities, all here at once. I admit, multiple dimensions was not an unknown concept to me, but.."

"Really?" Haruka took a sip of her drink. "Actually, I guess it's not a surprise that _you_ would know they existed, I guess."

"I had no way of knowing for certain," Setsuna shrugged. "If I had known for certain, I may or may not have explored it, since the technology to travel in between dimensions has not been conceived within the time stream yet."

"The time stream of _here_, you mean," Michiru corrected.

"Of course." Pluto smiled at Tourmaline. "It's amazing what can happen when the unknown is revealed, isn't it?"

"It depends on what is being revealed, Setsuna-san." Tourmaline nodded. "When I first used the dimensional folder two years ago, I initially used it to find other versions of my birth mother. I managed to find thirteen versions which fit the profile that I was using."

"And?"

"Unfortunately...my attempts to contact these other versions of her failed for a variety of reasons." Tourmaline paused. "It's not a moment I'm happy about. Because from that moment I decided not to deal with her ever again."

"I see."

There was a pause before any of the adults thought to speak. It was Setsuna who decided to open her mouth to speak, but before she could, a flutter of pink suddenly passed the table, stopping right in front of it, gasping for breath.

"Oooh!"

"Hello!"

"Oh." Setsuna blinked. "Small Lady."

"Hi, Puu! Man, it's crazy!" Chibi-Usa shook her head. "Mako-chan and I had to calm Kousagi-chan down _again_ and stop her screaming contests with that one girl, Charleston-san. Seriously, I'm glad she doesn't exist as my sister in _this_ dimension. She's annoying me so much I want to scream… seriously."

"That's not nice to say, Chibi-Usa," Haruka frowned. "She's just a kid. Remember, you weren't perfect either."

"Maybe I wasn't." Chibi-Usa sighed. "But she's ten times worse than I ever was. The me in her dimension must have the patience of a _saint_ to put up with her!"

"It's still not nice to speak in such a way."

"I know...but...meh." Chibi-Usa sighed. "I'll be quiet now."

A brief silence came on the group as Chibi-Usa took several deep breaths to get the frustration out of her system. After it became apparent that she'd calmed down, Tourmaline gave a chuckle.

"At least you're honest. That's a good quality." Tourmaline smiled as well. "Anything else going on?"

"That one weird kid from the evil dimension just stole someone's crayons and tried to break them. I managed to stop him and make him give them back, but he tried to stare me down."

"Oh yes..Vazgorth." Haruka frowned more at the name she spoke. "So what did you do?"

"I told him if he kept it up, I'd spank him."

"I doubt that worked."

"In a way, no. But he didn't want to draw attention on himself, so he promised not to be bad anymore."

"We'll see how long _that_ lasts."

"Why did you let him come here, Tourmaline-san?" Haruka huffed. "He's a brat, even for an evil entity. Spoiled from birth and very volatile."

"That's true." Tourmaline lowered her voice. "But the truth is, his parents were going on a conquest of an Outer Rim planet and they asked me if I could bring him here to distract him."

"...Oh..._really_?"

"Oh yes." Tourmaline couldn't help but chuckle. "Amazingly, for sadistic tyrants bent on universal domination, the evil versions of Serenity and Endymion in the 23rd dimension are nice to outsiders. They also see other dimensions as boring."

"You believed what they said?"

"...Actually, they believed what _I_ said when I told them that the other dimensions were boring and not worth stealing my invention for. Then I showed them your dimension, whereupon they agreed with me."

"You _what_?" Haruka's eyes widened. "You're not _serious._.."

"Don't worry." Tourmaline grinned. "I definitely had them swear off dimensional takeovers. You should have heard Enzayamadon snoring when I started talking about cherry trees."

"If you say so."

"Heheh. My dad snoring. Now _that's_ funny!" Chibi-Usa sat down next to Tourmaline. "Sorry, but you don't mind if I join you, do you?"

"Oh...of course, Small Lady." Michiru smiled. "Would you like some tea?"

"Naah, I have a rice drink." Chibi-Usa took out a bottle and shook it. "But thank you, regardless, Michiru-san."

"Of course."

Tourmaline smiled as Chibi-Usa took the cap off the bottle and guzzled down the drink. She took her spoon and stirred sugar into her coffee.

"So, Chibi-Usa-chan." She put the spoon back down. "You're in the seventh grade now? And class president as well, I've been told. You must be very intelligent."

"Well, I..." Chibi-Usa chuckled. "I'm not that special."

"Of course you are." Tourmaline smiled. "I think everyone here is special. It's really wonderful to see everyone here, gathered for the first time, seeing their counterparts face to face."

"You are really enjoying this, aren't you, Tourmaline-san?" Haruka looked at the woman, obviously intrigued. "No offense, but I just find it amazing that you are the way you are. Being that...well, you have an interesting parentage."

The other girls shifted uncomfortably at this. It was still difficult for them to imagine their enemy producing a child that turned out to be so kind and nonchalant about them, let alone the fact that Beryl would even have a child with their prince.

"...Oh, no, I understand." Tourmaline looked down with a smile when she saw their hesitance. "It's all right. I get it a lot, but I can understand your uncertainty about my loyalties, I suppose."

"Heh." Uranus looked down and shook her head. "I shouldn't be second-guessing you, should I? Sorry about that."

"Oh no, it's all right. Honestly." Tourmaline picked up her teacup. "I do understand..."

At this, she drank from her cup. When the rim of the cup touched her lips, Chibi-Usa could have sworn that there was a look of sadness in her eyes, a sadness that obviously predated the sailor soldiers' objections to her heritage. For one moment, Chibi-Usa recognized something in Tourmaline that she herself had once felt.

_"Mama! Mama! Don't leave me!"_

_"Chibi-Usa!"_

_"There's no one left for me..."_

"So." Chibi-Usa was jerked out of her thoughts by Setsuna, who was smiling at her. "Where's the backpack you had before? That belonged to one of the other children, right?"

"Oh...yes!" The pink-haired girl remembered. "That was Chibi-Naru's. The one I went to a little while before? She needed to change out of her pajamas."

"That's a good idea." Haruka smiled. "So, will we meet her?"

"Actually, I think she said she was going to meet with Casper."

"Casper...?"

"Yeah. I don't know who that is, but...but...?"

Chibi-Usa trailed off as she saw all the shocked faces staring back at her. They looked at her as if she had just returned after being run over by a Mack truck several times.

"Is...there a problem?"

"Naru..." Setsuna stared. "...Went to see...Casper?"

"Yeah." Chibi-Usa blinked. "Is that a problem?"

"...No!" Michiru smiled with a nervous chuckle. "No, of course not..."

"...Why don't I believe you?"

"It's nothing." Haruka cut her off abruptly. "Let's change the subject, shall we?"

"I..." Chibi-Usa sighed. "Ok."

"So..." Haruka glanced at Chibi-Usa before continuing. "Tell us about the dimension folder."

"Oh, the machine that brought everyone here." Michiru nodded. "Yes, tell us _exactly_ how you came up with it."

"Well..." Tourmaline took another sip of her drink before continuing. "I didn't come up with the mechanics of folding. That had been tested out theoretically by Calvin O'Keefe, based on some work by Feynman, as I mentioned before. This was back a few years before I had graduated from high school. But I wanted to put that into practice, and so I..."

----------------

"...Personally, I think this stinks."

Hitoko took a drag as she looked over at the table, scratching under her eye, near a faint scar. A game of poker was being held, between a sullen-looking blue-haired girl and an orange-haired boy, both similar in age. With a huff, the girl shook her head.

"Total crap..."

"Ranami-san, if the hand stinks, throw it out and cash your chips in." Hitoko blew out smoke from her mouth. "There's nothing wrong with losing once in a while."

"I'm _not_ going to lose to Mr. Day Glo here. I refuse to."

"Too late!" With a smug grin, the orange-haired boy threw his cards face up on the table. "Weep all you want, dearie. I have a full house."

"...You bastard." Ranami slammed her cards on the table. "You are a total bastard, you know that?"

"I'd take it as a well-deserved compliment, princess, if you said my actual name as opposed to 'a sneaky bastard'." With a smirk, he took the cards up again. "Another hand, your majesty?"

"Go to hell, Gunther." Ranami stood up, her brow hair tossed aside to reveal the black crescent underneath. "Play with yourself."

"Awww." The boy named Gunther sarcastically made a boo boo face. "Ice pwincess made me cwy. Now I have to kiww myself fow shame!."

"Please do so and rid humanity of-"

"_Please_." The two looked over at Hitoko. "We have more important things to do than to bicker over a stupid card game."

"But it's a matter of inter-dimensional pride! Especially with _him_." Ranami glared at Gunther. "To think that anyone would want to procreate and make _this_ loser..."

"That's not important." Hitoko took another hit from her cigarette. "I'm talking about Casper here."

"...Casper?"

At this, another voice chimed in with the three. This one belonged to a short, thin, purple-haired kid with large blue eyes, and was the same age as the others in the group. Though he looked well enough, his eyes frantically darted back to and fro, as if looking for a menace that only he could spot.

"W-what's wrong with Casper?" He looked nervously at the group beneath his coke-can glasses. "Is he sick? Is he ill?"

"No, Uromamo-san." Hitoko shook her head. "He isn't."

"Thank goodness." Uromamo took several deep breaths. "Thanks goodness! I could feel my heart palpitate. I almost died just then. I almost had a heart attack! It would be terrible if he had gotten sick."

"Uromamo-san..."

"I'm just so susceptible. So susceptible." The eyes rolled around. "I have heart and lung conditions that make me collapse randomly. I'm prone to chronic illnesses. I'm a living disease-soaking sp-sponge!"

"_Uromamo-san_.."

"Casper's taking so long..." Sweat began to pour down the boy's face, and he shut his eyes tightly. "What if someone has him, guys? What if _they_ have him...the men that wear blue and green and white. And they're sticking him right now with ...with...with...oh God...oh God...oh god oh god oh go-"

"_UROMAMO_!"

"AUUUGHHHWHAT!"

"...You're such a hypochondriac, you know?." Ranami glared at him. "Get over it. The men aren't here."

"Don't say that, princess." Gunther held up his hand. "Remember wh-"

"Shut up."

"I-i-i-i-i-..." Uromamo was shaking so violently that it almost looked as if there were two of him. "B-b-b-b-b-b-ut I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i'm sc-sc-sc-sc-sc-sc-scared..."

"You don't have to be scared." Ranami's voice softened. "They're not here, honest."

"B-b-b-b-but h-h-h-h-h-how d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-"

"Uromamo-san."

The boy opened his eyes to see Hitoko holding her hands out to him. Instinctively, he grabbed onto her wrists as tight as he could, shivering as he did. The others looked on silently, waiting for what would happen.

"H-h-h-hitok-k-k-o..."

"It's ok." Hitoko stared at him. "We all know what happened to you. Where you came from. We know what they did to you. After today, you won't need to worry about those men anymore. Remember what we talked about?"

"Y-y-yes..."

"You won't be sick any more, and they won't stick needles into you unless you're very, very sick. All right?" The boy nodded frantically. "Now, calm down. Calm down, think about your aunt. The guardian, remember who she is?"

"Mmm...mmm hmm." Uromamo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his face looked serene. "I f-feel much better now."

"Cool." He let go of Hitoko's wrists, and circulation resumed. "Now, what I was saying was that...well, remember what Casper told us this morning? About...well...?"

"...Hino-san, this doesn't have to do with..."

"It does." The group visibly stiffened at Hitoko's confirmation. "So let's be frank with one another. We're not to let him out of our sight, especially if there's someone else accompanying him. Understood?"

The group nodded their approval of the measure. Despite their obvious differences, they knew of Casper's temperament and of the potential problems to arise from it.

"So, let's.." Hitoko's eyes shifted. "Speaking of which."

The group turned to see Casper walking towards them, a slanted smile on his face. The group was not fooled; they could see the clouds beneath.

"Hello, group."

"Hey!" The group smiled back.

"H-h-hi, Casper!" Uromamo smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Casper turned around. "I brought someone."

The group's fears were confirmed when they saw the blue-haired teenager that hopped alongside Casper, a grin from ear to ear. Naru wore a green sweater over a white shirt, and khakis.

"Hello, everyone!" Naru was giddy that there were kids her age that she could relate to. "It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Neo-Lady, but Naru will do!"

"..Hello."

The salutations of the group sounded confused and worried as they saw Naru laugh. Hitoko bit her lip as she flicked away the remnants of her cigarette, hoping that she wouldn't scream for Naru to run off while she could; Uromamo shook slightly at the sight of the seemingly over-hyper girl. After his greeting, Gunther noticed Ranami not paying attention to him, and so he gingerly fumbled around for her tush.

"It's.a pleasure to meet you." Hitoko held her hand out. "I am Hino Hitoko, 3rd dimension. You.are Naru, hmm?"

"Yes." Naru nodded as they shook hands. "I was named after a family friend who had died in the Last War."

"Osaka Naru-san isn't dead in my dimension." Hitoko solemnly nodded. "But that's not really important, ne?"

"I guess not." Beaming, Naru turned to Uromamo, her hand held out. "You're..?"

"U-u-uromamo..." The boy began to visibly sweat as he shook hands. "Y-you're properly vaccinated, r-r-r-right?"

"..I'm sorry?"

"I-i-i-I mean...with germs...and bad things...so-so-so, you know." The purple-haired boy laughed nervously as he tried to wriggle his hand away. "I don't want to catch you and you catch me or anything."

"..What?" Naru's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"Don't mind Uro-san." Casper stepped forward. "He doesn't mean to insult you."

"Well, he doesn't sound insulting.." Naru hesitated. "He sounds..well.."

"He has a few...well, he's not had a good life in the 99th dimension." Casper looked at Uromamo with a bit of pity. "It's not something to really speak about in public."

"You th-th-think I'm a freak."

"Of course not!" Casper smiled again and pat Uromamo on the shoulder. "You've just had a hard life is all, Uro-san."

"Plenty of people have had hard lives around here." Ranami's eye twitched as Hitoko responded. "I'll agree that Uromamo's situation is...a bit unique."

"Unique?" Naru arched a brow. "How so?"

"Well, his fa-"

"YOU _BASTARD!_"

"EEEEEP!"

The next thing that every one knew, Ranami was throwing Gunther onto the table, which collapsed under the force. Gunther gave a girly scream as he scrambled up and took off; with blazing red eyes, Ranami took off in hot pursuit, picking up a chair as she did so.

"GET BACK HERE!" Teeth bared, she flung the chair at the orange-haired boy, which barely missed hitting him. "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR **ASS**!"

"..And." Naru began to sweat at this. "Those two are..?"

"Well, the frisky little Casanova is König Gunther-san. The son of Maxmillian and Wilhelmina." Ranami was quickly gaining on the boy. "Also known as Mamoru-san and Sailor Venus."

"Really?" Naru cocked her head at the thought of her father and Sailor Venus together. "I... don't see those two…"

"Apparently, neither does anyone outside the 76th dimension, Naru-san," Hitoko coyly responded.

"And the girl...?"

"The girl that wants to kill Mr. Gunther is Tsukino Ranami, princess of the Black Moon in the 86th dimension." Naru shivered at the Black Moon name; she remembered it well. "Usagi and the Black Moon prince somehow married, and now rule Earth where she comes from."

"Wow.." Naru turned back to Casper just as Ranami leaped onto Gunther's back and punched him in the head. "So many variations...so many different children."

"Indeed." Casper's voice lowered. "Many different possibilities.."

".I'd never have thought that there could be so many of us." Naru smiled as Ranami and Gunther both fell to the ground behind her. "It's amazing...to think, I'd never thought that there could be more than one person out there just like me."

"_Just_ like you?"

The emphasis in Casper's voice seemed to evince a hint of bitterness, but Naru didn't notice it. She turned back with a grin.

"Well, not _exactly_ like me, but..I mean, other children existing." Naru turned back as Ranami staggered up to her feet and grabbed the offensive boy by the hair, dragging him back to the group. "For a long time, I thought I was the only one. Well, in a matter of speaking, because of the timeline in my universe, I really _wasn't_ the only child...but I was."

"What do you mean?" Hitoko looked at Naru. "You mean you have a half-sister like me?"

"Hmm?"

"Chibi-Usa's also my half sister in my reality." Hitoko sighed. "Don't get to see her often, but...well, that's how it works in my reality."

"..Well, no, Small Lady isn't my half-sister.." Naru gulped. "But I did know of her even though she doesn't technically exist where I live. See, she-"

"And if you _ever do that again_..."

Naru was interrupted by Ranami's return to the group. In her hand was Gunther, tears streaming down his face. With a look of disgust on her face, she dropped Gunther and turned away from him.

"A-ack!" Uromamo hid behind Casper. "She's c-c-coming to kill someone..."

"Waaah!" Gunther went to grab for Ranami again. "I was only being friendly!"

"_Friendly_? Is this how you treat every girl you come across on the Oregon Trail?" Ranami turned her nose up. "No wonder you're still a virgin."

"_You're_ still a virgin too!" Gunther whined back. "How are you any different?"

"Because I'm not disgusting like you!"

"You two act like a married couple." Hitoko took out another cigarette. "Or like a bunch of little brats. Seriously, stop fighting before you end up in bed."

"Says you, Hitoko-san." Ranami responded sarcastically before she could control what she said. "I'm not the one who _did_ sleep with an enemy."

The deafening silence that came after this comment scared Naru, as she saw the hurt in Hitoko's eyes at Ranami's comment. Ranami was looking shocked, her hands over her mouth.

"_Girls_." Casper stared at the two. "Please."

"...Please don't mention that again." Finally, Hitoko's voice shakily responded as she took a deep drag off her stick. "I'd rather not leave this place hating you, Ranami-san."

"Oh..." To Naru's surprise, Ranami looked almost as hurt as Hitoko did. "I..I'm sorry. That was...that was totally out of line!"

"Huh...I'm surprised Ranami-san is expressing regret, being from the Black Moon Family!"

"Naru..."

"...I'm not a monster, Naru."

Naru's mouth dropped when she realized that the princess had overheard what she said to Casper. She turned away, embarrassed, not sure of what she could say to make it up.

_Stupid..stupid.!_ Naru shut her eyes. _I'm such an idiot to do what she just did to Hitoko-san...!_

"Hmph." Ranami turned away. "I guess I understand you, being that the Black Moon is an enemy to almost every person here. The black crescent is hated by almost everyone in every dimension, isn't it?"

"But _I_ don't ha-"

"_YOU_ don't count." A heel mark suddenly appeared on Gunther's simpering face. "The entire day, I've been rejected by the kids in this park because of the sign on my forehead. They think I've come here to take over Earth or something, and that I'm just like my father and the rest of his family." There was a snarl in her voice as she continued. "And I can tell that you all see me the same way."

There was another silence. The more it dragged on, the more Naru felt terrible about her words to the princess. Her head went down towards the ground guiltily, unaware that Casper was staring at her as Ranami spoke.

"Well, I'm _not_ like that. I _hate_ being seen as evil and I don't like it. I'm tired of people making me out that way. I don't _want_ to be like my parents. My parents are hypocrites." Ranami started to walk away. "They don't care about Earth like I do. But I guess it doesn't matter what I feel. That's ok. It never really matters anyways."

"Wait."

Ranami kept going despite Hitoko's words. Her face was red with anger, and her brows were furrowed. She wiped her eyes to make sure there were no tears coming from them.

_It was dumb of me to come here to begin with._

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Naru was in front of Ranami. The half-Nemesian almost ran into her, but managed to stop before she did so.

"Huh?"

"Um." Naru wrung her hands together. "Listen, Ranami-san..yeah, the Black Moon is evil in my reality, but...I didn't mean to offend you like that."

"Naru."

"Please." Naru held up her hand. "I can understand how it feels to be alone. Having people put you down because of who you are, for not being what they want to you be. I dealt with it for..a very long time, when I realized that I wasn't what...I wasn't _who_..my parents wished me to be."

Ranami's eyes widened at this. Behind her, the rest of the group watched, hearing Naru's words and absorbing them.

"It was really terrible for me, and...it took a very long time for me to get over it, and for my parents to be proud of me."

Naru sadly smiled as she remembered the years when she got no birthday presents, the times when she wasn't allowed to wear certain hairstyles, the times when she heard the whispers and saw the subtle looks of her parents as they thought of another girl, one with pink hair and red eyes. One who existed in the plane Naru was on at that moment, but not in her home world.

"So.that was horrible of me to inflict that kind of pain onto you." Naru bowed down. "I'll leave if you want. You won't ever have to see me if you don't want. I just don't want you to think...that I honestly hate you...it's just that I carelessly ga-"

"Stop."

Naru looked up at Ranami. There was a sad smile on her pale face as well.

"You know...no one's ever said that to me before."

"Ranami-san."

"Thank you." Ranami grasped Naru's hands. "I think..I'll stay a little while longer."

"Oh. Thank you...!"

"WOOHOO!"

Ranami's serene face twitched at the sound of Gunther whooping and cheering. She turned towards him, her teeth clenched.

"Hoorah! She's staying!" Gunther's smile upturned slyly. "Now we can play pinochle with _teams_!"

"...Though if I _had_ a reason to go..."

"I'll deal!" Gunther turned to Hitoko, Casper, and Uromamo. "You guys know what pinochle is, right?"

"V-v-v-venereal disease?" Uromamo's eyes bugged out. "N-n-n-n-no no no no! They tried, they tried to give me that oh my god oh my-"

"Uro-san." Casper held out his wrists, and the short kid shot out to grab them. "It's just a card game. Just a fun game. No needles, ok?"

"G-g-good." With a smile, Uromamo nodded. "G-g-games are fun!"

"That's right." Casper nodded. "You can go play if you want."

"Perfect!" Gunther beamed. "Uromamo and Naru will be on a team, and I shall be on a team with the _lovely_ Princess Ranami."

"Over my dead body!"

"Aaaaawww." Gunther pursed his lips, his fingers wiggling towards Ranami's behind once more. "But _pwiiiiincesssssss_..."

The next moment was a blur for Naru. She wasn't exactly sure what happened, or how it happened. She did, however, remember Ranami's eyes flashing red again, then a lot of movement. The next thing was Gunther on the ground, Ranami's heel being grated into the crotch area of his pants.

"AAAAAAAAAAUGH!" The girly screams resumed. "Mercy, _mercy_!"

"You little _prick_...!"

Naru couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle.

_In every way, they really are my family. They come from other dimensions, but...I guess that doesn't matter. Not here, not now, at this moment. _

_We all must have a lot in common..._

-----------------

"She's something." Hitoko mused as she watched Naru, who was laughing as Ranami beat up Gunther once more. "Not what we thought Naru-chan would be, hmm?"

"I suppose so." Casper's red eyes hardened. "Quite sure of herself, though, isn't she, Hitoko-san?"

".I think Naru's being quite sincere, actually," Hitoko quietly commented. "But I guess that doesn't changes your view of her, doesn't it, Casper-san?"

".We'll see what happens."

A shadow seemed to pass over Casper's face as he looked at Naru in the noon sun. It was as if there was a cloud that suddenly formed over his head whenever Naru looked away. It was easy enough for Casper to banish it whenever Naru was looking at him. He didn't wish to offend anyone anymore than he already had.

When she wasn't looking, however, it was another matter.

_Princess Naru Neo-Lady...we'll just see what else happens today..._

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	5. Whispers in the Trees

**MISPERCEPTION**

_**Whispers in the Trees**_

Six year old Judy Charleston had had enough.

She was running away from the offensive spot, her face stained with tears, her body bruised and scratched. She whimpered as she stumbled about, sobbing as much as her heart would let her after witnessing the terrible inequity.

_It's not fair...it's not fair!_

The little brunette wanted to die at that moment, or at least tell someone. Tell _anyone_. Her mother said that tattling was bad and made you look rude, but at that moment Judy didn't care. Too much had been done to her, and she had finally burst.

"Mommy..." Her mother wasn't there, but she didn't care. She still wanted to shout for her. "M-m-moooooommy!"

"HEEEEY, JUDY-CHAAAAN!"

Judy's large blue eyes were filled with tears as she turned to see Kousagi skipping towards her, a giant smile on her ice cream coated face. The smile on Kousagi's face only made Judy burst into more tears.

"I got choccy ice cream! What did you.." Kousagi blinked when she noticed that Judy's tears were soaking her own shirt. "Judy-chan? What..."

"K-kousagi.."

The pain and agony in Judy's eyes was limitless as she opened her mouth. What next came out was a wound in the very heart of childhood, the worst atrocity to ever be committed in front of a child.

"**_HE BROKE MY DOLLY!_**"

Judy's patented glass-breaking scream echoed through the trees of the park, attracting the attention of several of the more attentive little kids. Slowly, all their heads turned towards the epicenter, their eyes wide.

"..Wh-what!" Kousagi's eyes bulged out as she caught the bawling kindergärtner. "Y-you don't mean.._him_...he didn't."

"Y-yes! He-he-he d-d-did!"

".Not..your 1892 Talking Edison doll with the porcelain face and the brown hair and the funny warbling noises!" Kousagi's eyes widened. "The one your mother's mother's mother's mother's _mother_ had as a kid and passed down in excellent condition as a family heirloom."

"W..."

Judy tearfully held it up. There it was, the beautiful, rare antique doll, passed down through six generations, the paint on its face was scratched of on one side, and completely burnt off on the other. The yellow taffeta dress it wore was ripped, as was the underwear, and its wide hat was completely gone.. The wax cylinder mechanism that had been inside was almost completely detached, then melted onto the back of the doll's body, cracking the skin there beyond repair. Finally, the word "BABY" was written several times in permanent marker on the soles of the tattered doll's shoes.

"...this.."

The doll was so rare that it was priceless in several different dimensions; Kousagi's own family had a black-haired Talking Edison heirloom, though it had gone to Chibi-Usa. But even Kousagi knew the value of such an item, and knew what it was to have one.

"WaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Judy burst into tears. "WAAAAAAAH!"

"_So he did_." Kousagi's face darkened. "This..."

The other young kids began to gather around the two, gasping at the condition of the doll in Judy's hands. They trembled to see it; they knew of only one unholy creature capable of such a terrible thing.

"It was _him_."

"No way."

"Way."

"How terrible!"

"...Why." Kousagi's voice was abnormally low and dangerous. "Why did he do this act of disrespect to you, Judy-chan."

"I..I.." Judy sniffled. "I w-wouldn't give him my i-i-ice cream. H-he already had s-some, but he wanted m-more."

"That..little.."

"What? Just for _that_!"

"Evil! Just evil!"

"We can't let him get away with this."

All the younger kids slowly turned towards another point in the park, where a glen of large cherry blossom trees sat in a circle. At the center of the circle was the silhouette Vazgorth, his black cape flapping in the wind as he sat, meditating, a smirk on his face.

"That Vazgorth...he's nothing but a spoiled, selfish, evil little brat." Even Kousagi, who was apathetic by nature, glared at the satanic spawn. "He makes spoiled, selfish brats everywhere cringe in fear because he stains their reputations! All he's done since coming here is mean, mean things. Like pulling on my hair."

"And tripping me!" Mimi Creamy of the 19th dimension chimed in. "And making me bruise my knees!"

"Putting gum on my space shoes." Zandra Zukino of the 80th glared at her silver boots. "My favorite pair, too. Momma bought them for me on Sazime 34.."

"Zapping my cat with black magic." Gin Chiba of the 50th shakily clutched his crisped pet, who meowed pitifully in agreement. "And making me wet my pants!"

"Turning me into a frog!" Darien Shields II of the 6th dimension gave a ribbit. "My parents will kill me!"

"And with Judy-chan's doll.." Kousagi looked up to the sky and shook her fist. "There can be no forgiveness for him. We'll teach him to mess with us!"

"HURRAH!"

"Yay!" Judy sniffed. "Hooray.."

"I'll lead us to victory!" Kousagi then reached into her pocket. "We will make him wish he never came here!..."

At this gesture, the kids tensed, expecting Kousagi to draw out her sailor stick. They had heard that she was a sailor soldier in her dimension, a relatively uncommon phenomenon for a variety of reasons among the group assembled in the 15th dimension. They expected her to transform into Sailor Moon, take up a stick and begin beating Vazgorth with it in the name of love and justice.

"But first..." To everyone's disappointment, Kousagi took out a candy bar and took a huge hunk out of it. "We need a plan. And crayons. And paper. And whip cream!"

"Whip cream? How-"

"No questions yet!" Kousagi held her hand up. "First, we must get the all the whip cream we can from that ice cream vender we went to earlier today. But we'll need money to get it, so empty your pockets!"

Instantly, hands flew into pockets, and before the lavender-haired girl could say another word, she was covered in dollar bills, yen notes, space bucks and every other conceivable form of money that could be had in the various universes.

"Aiiiie!" Kousagi's head popped out of the pile. "Wow! A lot! Thanks, but...I wonder if it'll be enough.."

"3,000 yen from me!"

"Thirty bucks from me."

"..I _had_ money in my pocket...before I was turned into a frog."

"Almost 300,000 space bucks from me." Zandra looked at everyone's jaws as they dropped. "Don't be fazed. Inflation where I live makes it worth two yen."

"_Ouch_, that's tough, Zandra-chan."

".Do you want shoelaces? That's the currency where I come from."

"Yes, give everything you can! _Everything!_" Kousagi waved her hands frantically. "Exchange rates don't matter!"

".Ok, then I'm in too!"

"Excellent." Kousagi nodded to Gin Chiba as he threw shoelaces into the pile. "Let's gather up this money and prepare ourselves...for battle.."

She eyed the prince of Xaxalax as she said this, wondering what he was doing. He was glowing an eerie red color, and was starting to float slightly off the ground.

_That monster...what is he planning this time!_

-----------------

"Heheheh."

Ranami could only frown as Gunther put the last card down on the pile. With a grin, Gunther took it the hand and combined the other bits of his winning pile together.

"Now, let's see.." Gunther's hands flew as he counted the points in his mind. "Naru and I have almost every card in the deck..That's 230 points...plus the last trick means...that we have 250 points. Looks like we _win_, Ranami-san!"

"..That's it." Ranami went to stand up. "I quit."

"Ooooh, but you can't quit, princess!" Gunther imitated a sad puppy as he moved his head towards Ranami. "We still have to get to 2,000 points! Don't be a sore _woooooser_, Wanami..Waaaaaahnami..."

"Come any closer and I'll rip your lower lip from the rest of your body," Ranami hissed.

"Awww, but Waaaaahnami." The sad puppy face deepened, and Gunther pouted to the point where the bottom of his gums came out along with the lip. "Don't whiiiiiiine.."

"...I wish Hitoko-san were here to knock you."

Ranami's eyes briefly flashed red, and her hand moved towards Gunther's mouth. Next to Gunther, Naru nervously watched as the Black Moon princess went to fulfill her promise of mutilation.

"Wh..." Ranami was interrupted by a squeaking voice. "Wh-wh-what happened i t-t-t-to his lips/i "

"Uromamo-san..?"

"AAAAAAAAAAH! N-N-N-N-N-N-**NOOOOOO!**"

Naru gasped as Uromamo suddenly gave a bloodcurdling scream, throwing himself out of his seat. He was staring at Gunther with bloodshot eyes, sweating profusely, his own lips chattering violently. It was a complete difference from two minutes ago, when he had been calmly playing cards, albeit losing.

"What-"

"G-g-g-get away!" Uromamo scooted away, still screaming at Gunther. "They got you! Th-th-th-they...g-g-g-g-GET AWAY!"

"Uromamo-san!" Ranami glared at Gunther. "Now look what you did, you idiot."

".I just made a silly face." Gunther looked puzzled. "They couldn't have possibly made a puss like _that_ in his dimension-"

"_Shut up and deal another hand_."

Ranami's voice became so dark and menacing that Gunther immediately complied. Without another word, he dealt out another hand, with Naru picking up her cards nervously. Her eyes darted back and forth, noticing Casper sitting behind her, sitting silently.

_Casper-san._ There seemed to be no reaction from the red-haired teen as he watched. _What on Earth...?_

"R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-ranami-s-s-s-s-s-s-san." Uromamo started crying, again to the shock of Naru. "They got him they got him they got him...they're here I know they're here I-i-i-i-i-I'm sc-sc-sc-scared..they're g-g-going to f-f-f-find m-m-m-me..!"

"No they won't."

"H-h-h-h-h-how d-d-d-d-do you-"

"Uromamo-san, you can trust me." Ranami's voice was calm again, but firm. "Gunther's just a jerk who doesn't know better. Here."

Ranami held out her hands in front of her, showing Uromamo that there was nothing wrong, that he could trust her. Slowly, shakily, the frightened boy brought his hands up to respond. At the table, Gunther grumbled to himself as he looked at his hand.

"There we are." Ranami's voice softened. "See, Uromamo-san? Gunther's just a jerk."

"...Ok..ok..."

"Casper-san.." Naru looked back over at Casper as Uromamo grasped Ranami's wrists tightly and pulled himself up. "Forgive me for asking, but..do you know...why does Uromamo-san do that? What's wrong with him?"

"It's a control issue."

"Control?"

"Yes." Casper looked at her cards, then looked at Gunther's cards to see what was there, then shook his head when he saw that the Bavarian-born bum was bluffing. "Uro-san had never had any say in his life until he escaped the institution he was placed in as a baby. I doubt he'll ever be able to live a normal life after what they did to him..."

"An institution?" Naru's mouth dropped. "He was placed in an institution? Why?"

"Because of the nature of his birth." Casper glanced again at Naru's cards. "The scientists that worked at the place his parents were imprisoned were so shocked by it that they decided that Uro-san was not fit for normal society. They did all kinds of cruel things to him – injections, genetic manipulations, beatings. They deprived him of sleep, food, and human contact for days at a time. It was all ostensibly to fix him, but the truth was that they almost completely destroyed him."

"_Imprisoned_?" Naru gasped. "And cruel things...What did they do that for?"

"..For Uro-san's conception."

Suddenly, Casper bent over and grabbed Naru to him. It was rough, nothing like Naru was expecting from someone who had seemed so gentle to her. But she accepted it, regardless; the look in Casper's eyes indicated a terrible secret.

"Naru." The words were almost hissed into her ear, though Naru also couldn't imagine Casper hissing into her ear. "Uro-san was not conceived in a normal fashion. He was not carried in a woman."

"...Test tube?"

"No." Casper lowered his voice more. "Not artificial insemination."

"Clone?"

"_No._ I mean that his conception was...reversed, somehow."

"...'Reversed'?" Naru frowned. "What do you mean?"

"..Naru.." Casper sighed, and then lowered his voice even lower. "I _mean_ that, in simple terms...Uro-san's father..._he_ was the one who..well..."

At this point, Gunther, who had not been let onto the secret of Uromamo's birth, noticed Casper and Naru whispering to one another. The potential of sweet nothings always interested him to no end, and, arching his eyebrows, he decided to strain his ear in order to listen in.

"**HE BROKE MY DOLLY!**"

Unfortunately, just as the truth was being spilled, Judy Charleston's scream, which could cause steel buildings to collapse onto itself, echoed through the trees, shaking them so violently that the rustling of the leaves, combined with the sound of creaking branches, left Gunther unable to hear what was being said, even as he saw how tantalizing it was. Naru's just kept getting wider and wider as Casper whispered on.

"Damnit!"

Gunther swore as Naru's ear and Casper's mouth parted. Naru simply stared at Uromamo as he was brought back to the table by Ranami. It was apparent that whatever it was that she was told by Casper, had affected her. She looked at Uromamo with some pity in her eyes.

"That's...terrible." Naru whispered, presumably to herself, though Gunther heard her. "To do things like that to someone just because they're different...to not let them live a life.because..."

"Because of what?"

"...Nothing." Responding to Gunther, Naru closed her eyes and smiled, which frustrated Gunther's curiosity even more. "I guess I should be grateful for the life I've had is all. I've had my share of heartache, but...at least I still had my family."

Casper turned away from Naru at this statement without a word. Gunther noticed this as well, and noticed that Casper's face had considerably darkened at Naru's statements; in fact, he looked downright angry.

_Oh, hmm...what's he about _now Gunther began to sweat as something suddenly returned to the forefront of his mind. _Oh, _damn! _I forgot all about what Casper had talked about until just now! Crap, crap, crap!_

"Um...so!" Gunther nervously laughed as Ranami and Uromamo picked up their cards. "Going back to what's at hand...you guys bet first, right?"

".Hmph." To Gunther's shock, Ranami threw her hand down. "I don't want to play anymore. You always win."

"_What_?"

".M...me neither." Uromamo reluctantly put down his cards. "I...don't want to play anymore."

"_Whaaaat_?" Gunther's mouth dropped. "You dooooon't! B-but...we haven't finished the game!"

"...I don't want to play anymore." Uromamo's face brightened as he realized what was happening. "I..._don't want to play anymore!_"

He started shaking again, almost as violently as before. This time, however, he looked so happy that he could burst. He even started crying again, but once more, Naru realized that they would not be tears of fear, but tears of joy.

_This is the first time..he's ever truly defied someone..?_

"Uromamo-san." Ranami smiled. "That's wonderful. See? And no one is here to punish you."

"Th-they're not r-really after me anymore..."

"No, not today." Ranami rubbed Usomamo gently on the shoulder as she stood up. "And after tonight, never again."

"After...tonight?"

"Tourmaline-san will be sending everyone back home at sunset." Casper also stood up. "She gave us 12 hours – 6 to 6 - to mingle with our siblings from the other universes. It's in part to allow us to meet each other, but the time limit is mainly to keep suspicion from arising in our worlds as to our whereabouts and disappearances."

"..Oh." Naru looked at Casper. "And Uromamo-san..."

"...won't be returning to his world."

Naru and Casper both turned to see Hitoko standing behind them. She carried a large plastic bag which almost reached the ground.

"Tourmaline-san doesn't wish for him to return there again." Hitoko set the bag on the ground. "Anyways, I figured we could all have a meal together before we have to part ways."

"Mmm." Naru smiled and nodded. "Sounds excellent!"

"It's just rice, Tsukino-san..."

"Chiba-san."

"...Very well." Hitoko nodded. "Well, it's enough for everyone to have a serving, so it's not much..."

"Rice is fine for me!" Naru turned up to Casper, blushing slightly. "Isn't it, Casper-san...?"

Casper was not looking at them. He instead was looking outwards, away from them, with a hardened look on his face. His hand was stuffed deep in his pocket; his lip was quivering slightly.

_Tsukino...and Chiba..._

"...Casper." Naru turned to see a look of worry on Hitoko's face. "Don't."

_Names they...never gave me._

Naru turned back and forth, from Hitoko to Casper and back. There was obviously something else going on, something that no one was willing to talk about. That certainty only grew when the other three stood up and stared at Casper in unison, all with the same expression of worry that Hitoko had.

"Casper...?"

"Hey everyone!"

The tension was interrupted by a strand of pink suddenly appearing before them. All of a sudden, it was hidden from Naru again, though she sensed that it wasn't ultimately gone.

_...What is going on?_

"Small...Lady."

"Hi! Sorry to startle you all." Chibi-Usa grinned as she carried her own plastic bag. "But...well, since you guys are the only ones that are pretty much around my age, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out, and share a picnic with me. It's not much-"

"Rice?"

Chibi-Usa blinked as everyone started to laugh. It was a nervous laugh, a laugh of tense relief.

"...Yeah. Enough for everyone." The pink-haired girl looked down at her bag. "How'd you know?"

"Hitoko-san also brought some rice as well." Ranami gave Chibi-Usa a smile. "Still, it's kind of you to bring us all some food. Now there's enough for everyone to have two servings."

"Hmm." At this, Naru also smiled. "It's...I guess it's amazing how we can think alike, Small Lady."

"I guess so!" Chibi-Usa didn't see the flicker of sadness in Naru's eyes at this. "But...remember? I told you, you can call me Chibi-Usa. All my friends do."

"Oh...yes, of course...Chibi-Usa."

"Anyways," Chibi-Usa pat her bag. "Let's eat. It's getting late."

"F-f-food? There's food?" Even Uromamo was licking his chapped lips. "I'm hungry."

"Hmph." With a sigh, Gunther finally put his cards into his trenchcoat. "Oh well. I guess the game was shot anyways..."

"...Food sounds good."

With his slant smile, Casper bent down and began to help Hitoko and Chibi-Usa set up the blanket. Ranami and Uromamo joined in the fray, while Gunther and Naru silently watched.

_Casper-san...what it is?_

This time, however, Naru now knew his slanted smile was not completely sincere, or at least, not completely forthcoming of his feelings as he whittled another piece of wood into nothing with his knife. There was something behind it, something he was not admitting to. Something that, for some reason, scared her deeply.

_A secret...from me? Why?_

Naru looked at Gunther, hoping for an answer. Gunther, however, was completely inattentive to her. He was turned away from her, staring at Ranami's body with a curve on his lips.

_Something is definitely going on. Something..._

Above the group, the wind began to pick up speed. As such, Naru could not hear the curse coming from the mouth of one of her newly-appointed friends and siblings, a curse which would have proved to her that merely befriending them and spending time with them would not heal all wounds they had accumulated in their own realities.

"Usurper...I'll get you..."

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	6. Love in the Cards

**MISPERCEPTION**

_**Love in the Cards**_

"The wind is starting to change direction."

Haruka turned towards the south, her eyes narrowing. It wasn't just the direction of the wind that had suddenly changed; it was as if the entire temperament of the atmosphere had shifted, the feeling becoming a little more menacing.

"Hmm." Haruka turned back to the group, eying Setsuna. "What time is it?"

"It's 3:45."

"Four more hours until sunset." Haruka glanced again behind her. "I wonder if it'll come soon enough..."

"Ooh, don't be so negative!"

Haruka turned to her left at this. Minako now sat where Chibi-Usa had, sipping tea with Tourmaline, a grin on her face.

"Mmm, this is delicious tea!" Minako's fingers grasped at a donut. "Aaaand I think I'll be having another one of theeese..."

"What are you worried about, Haruka?"

"...Anger." Haruka looked down at her cup. "I suddenly felt something carried on the win. There's anger somewhere amongst the alternate children. It's not widespread, though...it's coming from one person..."

"Just one person?"

"Yes." Haruka looked back. "Tourmaline-san, you know what I think..."

"I do." Tourmaline nodded solemnly. "I know who you all are thinking of. But I have faith that it won't have to come to anything terrible."

"Why do you think that...?"

"Because it is sometimes better not to pass judgment until you are absolutely certain of what will happen. Until you know who you are dealing with, you shouldn't hold prejudice in your heart..."

Tourmaline was suddenly silent at this. The sadness that had been muted for most of the day was suddenly there for the soldiers to look at. Though Tourmaline was the oldest one at the table – save for Setsuna, whose exact age had always been obscure – for a moment, she could have been a child again, running from her past with a pained cry.

Running from a screaming woman who had done unspeakable things to her and all others. Running from a man whose face had dropped down on one side, his voice slurred, his mind utterly wasted, and blood on his hands as well.

"_Mama...papa...why...?"_

"I take it," Michiru spoke, bringing Tourmaline back from the past, "That the withholding of prejudice was not as successful where you live."

"Well...My past was not very easy." Tourmaline closed her eyes. "It's not something I like to talk about in public."

"Oh, please tell us, Chiba-san!" Minako smiled. "I mean, it can't be _that_ bad, can it? Well, all things considered, it isn't something we'll regret hearing, right?"

"Minako-chan." Michiru looked at Minako, her face stern. "Don't be that way."

"I'm just asking..." Minako pouted. "Besides, we know almost nothing about Chiba-san!"

"Well..." Tourmaline looked down into her drink. "No. Again, it's not really a story for good company, not on a day like this. To be honest I don't know how you'd all take it."

"...For once, I agree with Minako, Chiba-san," Haruka looked at the brunette. "You've brought several hundred kids into our dimension for reasons you haven't really gotten into. You may as well tell us about yourself now, and about why you brought these kids here, while there's still time."

With a sigh, Tourmaline looked back up at Haruka. The sky soldier could see that the sadness was still in her eyes as she contemplated her choices, the sadness that hadn't truly shown in her eyes at any time before.

"...Very well." Tourmaline placed her cup back on the saucer. "I suppose now is a good time as ever."

A soft wind blew through the trees, and Tourmaline began to speak. A leaf fluttered down onto the table next to Michiru, who promptly picked it up and blew it away.

"As you probably guessed already by my existence, in my dimension my mother won her battle against the sailor soldiers, took control of the Silver Crystal and conquered Earth. At her victory, she trapped the bodies of the fallen sailor soldiers into crystal prisons for all eternity, torturing what was left of them until they inevitably died." Tourmaline let out a great sigh. "It was terrible. The moment my mother won, Queen Metaria possessed her body and my father's body, and then proceeded to turn Earth into a death camp for its people. The Dark Kingdom began to spread through the solar system, even throughout the galaxy, using the power of the Silver Crystal and Queen Metaria's soul. It seemed as if the darkness would spread with no end."

"Huh. I couldn't imagine a universe where Beryl ruled." Minako stared. "It must have been terrible."

"Beyond it. It was disgusting." Tourmaline's eyes furrowed, a flicker of anger across her face. "Innocent people died by the thousands every single day. Entire planets were obliterated in the blink of an eye. Civilization slowly became the exception to the rule, and the rule with my mother's reign was that only the will of Queen Beryl decided what went on in everyone's life, no matter what the consequences were."

"And you…"

"My parents ignored me from the moment I was born." The tone of Tourmaline's voice was suddenly flat, with a hint of anger tinting it. "My father was brainwashed, bent so far to the will of my mother and Queen Metaria that he was nothing more than a walking mass of flesh with lifeless eyes. My mother only cared about herself, about her power, and about my father scraping unconditionally to her. She had never wanted me to begin with; I was an accident. As a result, as I grew I was almost always left alone in their castle, never loved or acknowledged even by the servants."

The group was very silent at this. Tourmaline's purple eyes flashed with indignation as she relived the memories that she had bottled within her mind. She then looked down and stared intensely into her coffee, looking within the mirror of her past and seeing the frightened young child with mangled hair, dirt on her clothing and tears in her eyes. She was standing in the shadows, terrified of the sights in front of her.

"It was like that for the first five years in my life. Just an unwanted shadow, ignored by everyone." Tourmaline closed her eyes to block the image. "Then came the day that I snuck into the forbidden wings of the castle. I remember it as if it had just happened."

"Chiba-san."

"I remember. The walls were lined with skulls, and at the end of the hall was my mother's private chambers, which no one could go into. I went in like a ghost – how else could I have gone in, as no one acknowledged me? I went in, and heard laughter. I hid behind a dresser and as I did I saw my mother. She was gloating in front of a large crystalline tube. Inside was a dead woman, skeletal and emaciated beyond recognition."

Tourmaline closed her eyes at this. There she was, a tiny child, shivering as she watched her mother, choked with power, laugh at the dead. The little girl shrank back, hoping that her mother would not see her standing there, watching the macabre spectacle.

"She was wearing a tattered sailor suit, her body covered in welts and scars and dry blood. It was here that I first learned the name of Sailor Moon; after her defeat she had been slowly tortured and starved to death by my mother over the years. Finally, on that day her soul left her body, and my mother called in my brainless father to observe the corpse and celebrate…."

Tourmaline suddenly stopped. She was shaking slightly as the memory came to her so vividly that she may as well have been reliving the moment that the metal plunged into her screaming mother's chest, the blood spraying all over her cherubic but dirty face and body. Then, more screams, and the look on her father's face that moment when he turned and truly saw his daughter with the devil for the first time...

Instinctively, Setsuna laid her hand on the woman's shoulder as she took in deep breaths.

"Tourmaline-san….."

"….He killed her."

"What?"

"He killed her." Tears began to form in Tourmaline's eyes. "I don't know how…..how he broke the spell, but something about seeing her body must have…..the next thing I knew, I saw him….he had….he had his sword in his hand……"

She quickly composed herself, fanning herself as she did so. The tears were quickly wiped away with a napkin.

"I….I'm sorry…."

"It's ok, Chiba-san." Setsuna softly pat her on the back. "It's ok."

"…I'm the one that should be sorry." Minako was looking down at her drink, her fingers nervously fiddling with the remnants of her muffin. "I really shouldn't have asked about it."

"No…" Tourmaline wiped away the last tear with a smile. "It's all right. It is probably better that you know, that you understand why this is happening. The good in one's life must be taken with the bad."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tourmaline gave an affirmative nod. "My past was a terrible one. I never had my parents, and even after that day I would never know my father. You should know these things because they happened."

"Did….." Michiru's voice covered the concern she held for Tourmaline's father. "What do you mean? What happened to Prince Endymion?"

"He lived, somewhat." Tourmaline looked down again. "He took up the Silver Crystal from my mother's bleeding body and went into the basement chambers to destroy Metaria once and for all. But when he used it, his heart was crazed, and without Sailor Moon's calming influence, the crystal's power disfigured him physically and annihilated what was left in his mind along with the monster. I remember when he fell; I cried for him to answer, but all I received in response was an incoherent moan. So the father, who I had always longed day and night to pay attention to me, once again became nothing more than a shell of flesh. This time he was connected to several dozen machines inside a hospital for the rest of his life, just so he could breathe."

This time, all the soldiers visibly shuddered at the thought. Their prince, their future ruler, connected from every orifice to machines. They had seen him sickly, and that enough was a frightening experience. To imagine him in that state – without a mind, without a soul – was beyond unbearable, even though they had never personally seen it.

"That's….terrible." Haruka couldn't stifle a sniff at the image. "You had no one left. No family, no friends."

"I had one person."

"One?"

"One of the sailor soldiers...survived."

At this, Tourmaline's eyes sparkled. Happiness replaced the sorrow, and her smile widened.

"It took her some time to get out and find me, but…..she did." Images of brunette hair in a ponytail, glittering green eyes, a smile that evinced sorrow but also joy danced in her head. "….she found me. She took me in as her own daughter. Gave me a home, and love. She married the father of her fallen friend so I could have the stable family I'd always dreamed of, and helped rebuild the world so I could have a future with everyone else. Even though my parents had imprisoned and tortured her, she never let me feel like it was my fault that it had happened, like many other people did. I've always seen her as my real mother ever since."

"….Mako-chan."

"Amazing…!"

"She's still alive." Here was a sigh of relief from the group, the realization that something had gone right in that world. "Living in New Tokyo with her husband, and she has two kids of her own with him. I talk to her almost every day on the phone. She was the one who encouraged me to go to college and take up science, since she herself never really did well in school, and was never able to properly finish her education because of Beryl's takeover. Being a sailor soldier made her realize how precious the little things in life are."

"And….that's why you built the folder."

"I learned of alternate dimensions in college, about infinite possibilities." Tourmaline took another drink of her coffee. "And I decided that, if I were to ever open a gate into another reality, I would find all the children of my father and tell them not to fear for their future, no matter how bleak it may seem. It soon came to encompass my father and Sailor Moon, and their offspring, because I learned of their love in the distant past. It took me my entire college career and beyond to perfect the dimensional folder, and it was all for one purpose."

"One purpose?"

"Yes."

On one side, Tourmaline could see the youngest children huddled in a circle. They kept glancing around, then going back to the huddle. If one did not know their individual histories, their triumphs and trials, the good and the bad, it could have easily been assumed that the children had somehow known each other their whole lives.

"I want them to know...that no matter how much they have suffered, they have always had someone who could relate. I want them to know that they are not alone."

The group slowly scattered, running in different directions. Some of the children had various items in their hands which no one at the table could make out.

"They were never alone..."

-----------------------

"You like rice?"

"Mmm."

"What?"

"Never had it before."

"We can tell."

The group was having food at the bottom of a small hill, which was situated in between the glen of trees that Vazgorth was in, and a large lake. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the majority of the people huddled around the rice pot were scarfing fown their food as fast as they could..

Meanwhile, Gunther was fumbling around with his chopsticks, holding one with each hand, then holding them both with three fingers. Regardless of how he had them, they kept flying out of his hands, and into his bowl, or on his lap, or even on the ground; but no matter where they fell, he would hastily wipe them off and start over again. His bowl was not even halfway finished.

"So." Ranami couldn't help but grit her teeth at Gunther, as she was sitting right next to him. "Unlike the rest of us, you do not live in Japan."

"Nope."

"Really?" Chibi-Usa was scarfing down her food as she spoke. "Where do you live?"

"Larny."

"Eh?"

"New Mexico Territory." Gunther glared at his chopsticks. "A ways from Santa Fe...and...well, I actually used to live in Munich before that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, before Busy Bizzy drove my parents out..." Gunther's voice trailed off as his eyes searched the vicinity. "Eh...meh. Are there any spoons here or something?"

"No."

"...Damnit."

Without warning, his face dove into the rice bowl. Snarling and gnashing sounds could be heard as Gunther attempted to eat his food sans proper utensils. Everyone made a face as they heard him groan a moment, come up for air with a face pocked with rice, and then dive back in.

"Eww!" Chibi-Usa grimaced. "What's wrong with him? I thought Americans knew how to use chopsticks!"

"Gunther-chan isn't from our present period."

"Eh?" Naru blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Gunther-chan," Hitoko responded, "is from the 1880s. That's his present time."

"Really?" Naru took a bite of her rice. "Then, who is...?"

"Busy Bizzy?" Gunther looked up from the rice bowl. "Bismarck. You know, Prussian guy with the stupid mustache?"

"...You mean Otto von Bismarck."

"My parents were Bavarian nobles!" Gunther tried without avail to get a grain of rice off his cheek with his tongue. "My dad knew the king of Bavaria and lived near Schloss Nymphenburg when I was a baby. But we had to leave when I was three because my dad hates Prussians and _especially_ hates Protestants.

"Why?"

"Because Prussians are Protestants. Which...naturally explains why we ended up moving to America, where 99 percent of the population is...Protestant." Gunther licked his lips. "Well done, dad."

"Oh...well," Naru looked at Gunther, her head tilted in some slight confusion. "I...guess it sort of makes sense. I mean, the time period you come from. I suppose, because this is 20th century Tokyo, and I'm from 30th century..."

"It depends on the dimension." Hitoko put her empty bowl down. "According to Tourmaline-san, we're _all_ from the present time, but because our realities' time lines are varied by proxy, our realities' 'presents' are different. That's why there's so many different eras here, instead of instead of all of us simply being from the 20th century."

"Gunther's from the 19th century, most of us live around the 30th and 31st centuries..." Ranami paused. "In a technical matter of speaking, though, I come from the first century BMY which is also the 30th century..."

"There's a couple kids from the 50th century and beyond."

"Th-th-there's a..." Uromamo raised her hand. "K-k-kid from the 4th c-c-century!"

"The Roman prince?"

"Yeah..."

"I guess I'm not surprised." Naru looked over. "The dimensions override time, I guess?"

"It's supposedly really complicated." Hitoko wiped her hands together. "I didn't press for details."

At that moment, Naru wasn't completely paying attention to Hitoko's words. She was looking else where, pondering about other things that had come up, though no one wanted to admit it.

_Casper-san._

Casper wasn't even looking at her, but there was obviously something troubling him. Naru could see it in his eyes when Chibi-Usa joined them; it something that no one was willing to admit to her directly, but deep down, she had the feeling that it involved her in some way, in some form. This feeling worried her, as she had been sure that she had been getting along with everyone – especially Casper.

"_...my life..."_

There was something else going on as well, though it was not directly related to Naru. When Chibi-Usa arrived, the group had again become somewhat tenuous, but this time the latent animosity was directed towards Chibi-Usa. They ate her rice, but it was a silent meal; only Gunther had spoken to her since they sat down to eat.

"...So." Naru decided to take a chance. "Chibi-Usa, this is some good rice."

"Yeah!" Uromamo suddenly nodded with a smile. "I-i-i-i-its not laced."

"Thank you..."

"...It'd be better if I could get it all out." Gunther, his face and orange hair crusted with grain, put his bowl down. "Whoever wants it can have it. Sorry, Chibi-Usa."

"It's ok..."

Naru watched Chibi-Usa as Uromamo took it up, eating it merrily. Just as she suspected, no one else thanked Chibi-Usa for contributing to the lunch; whether or not the girl noticed, or cared, Naru didn't know.

"Heh." Gunther took a deep breath. "Now that I am somewhat nourished, let's have a round of something. How about..." At this, he tapped Ranami in the shoulder. "_poker_?"

"How about," There was suddenly an unhealthy-sounding crack as Ranami's hand grabbed Gunther's finger and bent it back, almost to the wrist. "_no_?"

"Eheheheh!" Gunther snorted as he wriggled free and, with a grunt, set the bones back into place. It was apparent this had happened before. "Awww, come on. What else do we have to do?"

"Why do we _have_ to play cards?"

"Ranami-chan's right, you know." Chibi-Usa looked around. "You know, there's a lake nearby, and a playground. There's also the ice cream vendor if you want dessert...You know, I wonder what he thinks of all of this..."

"I don't get something." Hitoko looked at Gunther. "Why cards?"

"Why not?" Gunther took out his cards and shuffled them. "There's nothing else to do where I come from. Besides," At this, Gunther puffed his chest a little. "I'm a champ at every card game there is. No one can beat me anywhere."

"Then why play," Ranami rolled her eyes, "if you always win?"

"Money."

"_Money_?"

"Well, yeah!" Gunther snorted. "I've beaten every card player north of the Gila River. Mexican, American, Chinese, everyone. My mom and pop hate it when I play cards though, since I've gotten into the middle of a few fights, but..." Gunther shrugged. "I make a good deal of money for a kid my age. And that gets the girls' attentions, too."

"Show off."

"Girls go for the cards! Well..." Gunther paused. "Most girls do. Personally, I like girls with nice behinds. And brains. There's lots of girls with nice rear ends, but no brains, from my territory. Most respectable girls where I come from can't even read!"

"How sad for you."

"Yup. The only girls who _can_ read are squaws." Gunther shuffled the cards. "And you don't want to mess with a squaw. They're trained to kill palefaces."

"..._Nice._" Ranami's voice was slightly sarcastic. "Very smooth of you to use such words."

"So yeah...I've never met a really sophisticated girl before." Gunther's shuffling suddenly stopped. "A girl with a rear end but with the ability to be deep. Girls who don't just yes me just because I can play cards, you know?"

"You don't like girls who admire your card playing?"

"Well, I..." Gunther started to turn pink at Hitoko's question. "There are a couple I've thought of. But there's only one girl that I've recently started to take a fancy with because...well, she doesn't _like_ my playing cards."

"I thought you said there was no one with brains where you live."

"There isn't..."

"Then you just-"

"But, the truth of the matter is...I really like _you_, Ranami."

For a single moment, the cockiness had all but disappeared at that outburst. The smarmy, annoying Gunther that everyone had known since that morning transformed into something that was completely unlike what they had seen from him. He looked nervous, almost bashful, about admitting to his liking a girl, as opposed to being a shameless flirt. In short, he was the uncertain, shy boy that people might never have suspected him to be, the one who didn't know how to approach a lady without getting too scared to win her approval.

"...You _are_ joking, right?"

Naru's mouth was wide open, her chopsticks halfway to her mouth, as Gunther shook his head as Hitoko spoke. There was a genuine smile that, very slowly, came onto his face as he looked at Ranami, who was probably most stunned of all of them, though her eyes flickered red as much as her face did.

"Of...of course not!"

"But..." Chibi-Usa's eyes darted back and forth. "That...that's just so _crude_!"

"But it's true." Gunther rubbed his hands, his cheeks flushed. "And it's not what you think, either. There's nothing wrong with it."

"What do you mean?" Hitoko asked uneasily.

"Think about it for a moment. My mother and father were Maxmillian and Wilhelmina, and apparently in this universe she is 'Sailor Venus', and he is 'Tuxedo Mask', correct?" Gunther shrugged. "Plus, 'Sailor Venus' is _not_ the same as 'Sailor Moon', who is Ranami's mother, and that guy Demander-"

"Demando."

"- is her father. So see? It's _not_ incest."

"But it's still disgusting!"

"Why?"

"I mean..." Chibi-Usa covered her face. "It's like...it's like dating your stepsister!"

"I agree..." Hitoko mumbled. "It's _weird_."

"But...she's _not_ my stepsister." For the first time, Gunther actually looked a little upset. "So why should it matter?"

"Because..." Chibi-Usa shook her head. "Mergh..."

Naru could see the sadness build in Gunther's face as he heard the repeated rejections about the improbability of a relationship. Ranami, on her part, was still just too shocked to say anything in response to Gunther's genuine declaration, which had been all but buried by everyone else's disgust.

_Even Gunther-san._ Thoughts of unrequited love danced through Naru's mind. _Even Gunther-san has sadness. Is that...simply our lot in life as the children of Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask...to always be sad...?_

"...I..." Naru tried to formulate her agreement. "G-gunther-san..."

"...It's ok." The usual bravado seemed to suddenly return as Gunther waved his hand. "I don't care. I was just kidding anyways. I...don't i really /i like her in that way...yeah...I really don't."

It was pretty obvious to Naru that he was lying. His face was still flushed red with embarrassment, and his smile seemed like a weak facade in comparison to the smiles he had shown before. With a swipe of his hand, he took his drink and sipped it, conveniently hiding his face in case he started crying.

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	7. Battle in the Park

**MISPERCEPTION**

**Battle in the Park**

It was already 4:50 when Operation Kill Jerkface was about to began.

"All right." Hard-nosed, hard-hearted, and with an vanilla ice cream sandwich in tow, Kousagi faced her troops, a gleam in her eyes. "We know what must be done. You all know the plan. Swiftly, quickly, take no prisoners."

"Sir!" A chorus of little voices responded to their leader. "Yes sir!"

The group had swelled considerably as Vazgorth's list of unforgivable misdeeds grew through the afternoon. He ruined someone's sidewalk chalk portrait of Tourmaline by dousing it in water; he stepped on a girl's foot and laughed at her pain; he stole a boy's sandwich and ate it right in front of him. Now, half the little kids in the park had banded together against Vazgorth, bent for revenge.

They couldn't just go to Tourmaline and the sailor soldiers. There was a simple reason for it. In their worlds, they were normally told to suck it up and bear it, laugh with the offenders and tattlers, and not to tattle because tattling made one look bad and wouldn't get one any friends. But Vazgorth was no playground bully: in fact he was dangerous to the point of true sadism. Had his powers been on par with what they were in his dimension, they would all be dead, or tortured, or worse. And on some subconscious level, they all knew it.

"Then let's do it." Kousagi turned away. "Everyone, get in your positions."

"YES, SIR!"

"...Stop saying that," the little girl cringed at the synchronized shouting. "I'm not a samurai!"

"YES, SIR!"

"...Never mind."

At this, Kousagi started to walk off, and the kids, as per the plan, scattered. There was screaming and whooping, the false sense that the kids were just playing around and having a game of hide and seek. To the adults, it would look completely innocent.

_Stay calm, Kousagi._ Slowly, the lavender-haired girl walked towards the glen of trees. _He's in there...just...just approach him like nothing is happening...and when the time is right..._

It wasn't very difficult to find Vazgorth, even within the copse. All around him, there was a circle of black energy, which occasionally lashed out and cut a tree, or singed the grass black. By the time Kousagi arrived, most of the grass was gone and nearly all the trees had been reduced to charred stumps.

"Hmm_mmmph_." Kousagi could hear Vazgorth's mumbling as his eyes glowed bright red. "Must...more power...damned world...give me...more dark power...!"

"Hello, Vazgorth."

Kousagi tensed up as Vazgorth's head snapped up. The red halo in his eyes disappeared, replaced by his cold, lifeless black orbs, which stared menacingly at her. For a moment, Kousagi felt her resolve waver, and her first instinct was to run away screaming.

_...No!_

"Oh. _You_." The child gave a harsh laugh. "For a moment I thought it was a _threat_ coming to me."

"Hmph." Kousagi's hands went into her pocket. "Well, I'm here to talk to you about something, Vazgorth."

"I see." Vazgorth stood up, a black mist rising from the ground as he did. "So you've finally decided to come grovel at my feet and exclaim the allegiance of you and your world to my family. You are intelligent for a _girl_."

"No."

Kousagi put her hands on her hips and glared as best as she could at Vazgorth, who simply glared right back at her for her insolence.

"I've come here to demand that you apologize for pulling my hair this morning. It was a mean thing to do and you shouldn't be doing it!"

"Oh." Vazgorth smirked. "I'm _so_ sorry, then."

"You should be sincere in your apologies." Kousagi didn't back down. "Or else you'll regret it, and I can promise that."

"And how," a wicked grin came onto his face, "Do you plan on making me comply with your orders? You're going to tell those ineffective adults?"

With Vazgorth's attention diverted onto Kousagi and her airs, several shadows of different shapes and sizes appeared amongst the trees and on the branches. Pairs of beady eyes opened and shut, all of them dead silent.

"No; I've already decided how I would do it." Kousagi's hand went into her pocket. "As have all of the kids here whom you've wronged. You're going to regret messing with all of us, you _jerk!_"

"What-"

Vazgorth's eye caught one kid's hand as the object he held flashed into his eyes. With an angry snarl, he shot his finger out. A spike of black lightning, which in his dimension would have instantly incinerated the boy and his weapon, only instead knocked it out of his hand, causing the boy to run off screaming and crying.

"_You...!_"

Vazgorth's snarl of hate turned into a scream of humiliation as he was suddenly attacked by unending streams of whip cream. He took his cape to him and tried to run, but at every side, he was bombarded with whip cream. Soon, he was completely white from head to toe.

"NOOOOO!" Vazgorth screamed like a girl. "NOOOOOO...Stoooooop!"

"Everyone!" Kousagi whipped out a hot pink pen and waved it like a pointer.."Break out the condiments!"

Just as the whip cream had been thrown at the dark child, now cherries, M&Ms, peanut butter cups and nuts were pelted at him with merciless efficiency. Most of the cherries slid off of him quickly and fell onto the ground, but many of the nuts and most of the candy managed to wedge themselves into the whip cream.

"Haha!" The kids laughed as they threw everything they had at him. "Yay! We got him! We got him!"

Soon, Vazgorth was nothing but a giant pile of whip cream, cherries, candies, nuts, and when the kids had run out of food, sticks and stones. It quaked and shivered as it collapsed onto the ground, seemingly defeated by the onslaught.

"Hooray!" The kids all jumped up and down, screaming and clapping loudly. "HOOORAY! **HOOO-**"

"**_RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_**

The whip cream, the condiments, and everything that covered him suddenly blew up and splashed onto the children. A giant red aura with black lightning surrounded Vazgorth, whose eye sockets had turned completely black from pure, unadulterated rage.

"**_MISERABLE..._**" The children trembled as Vazgorth raised his hands. "**_PIGS!_**"

At the last word, lightning poured from his body, blasting nearly every child in the vicinity. Screaming and crying, the children scattered around, but it did them little good; lightning kept hitting them, and within the trees the power spread and even struck unsuspecting children who were not involved in the confrontation.

"Aaaaah!"

"Owwwwww!"

"_Help!_"

"**_DISGUSTING...PATHETIC..._**"

Years of being spoiled rotten and little or no contact with his peers had given Vazgorth a sense of superiority over all other children. The fact he would suffer a lifetime of ridicule if the people of his dimension heard about this was too much to bear. He decided, in his egotistical way, that there was only one way to eradicate the humiliation.

Everyone had to die in the most painful way possible.

"**_WEAKLINGS!_**"

"NO!"

One rather large chunk of lightning suddenly dissipated as it made contact with a faint hot pink line that suddenly appeared in the air. Vazgorth's eyes cleared to see Kousagi, her blue eyes flashing, holding up her pen, which glittered underneath the shield that was constructed around her. Also inside the shield were several more children, trembling as they huddled around the girl, their eyes widened with fear.

"What..." Vazgorth's eyes widened, his anger only increasing. "**How?**"

"That does it." Kousagi's squeaky voice suddenly evinced a hint of regal bearing that, before, seemed unlikely from someone like her. "Now you've _really_ gone too far! Hurting all these kids and punishing unwitting bystanders is an act beyond forgiveness! It's time for you to be punished!"

She held her pen up higher, and suddenly, it flashed brightly within the shield. Simultaneously, a moon sign appeared both on the head of the pen and on Kousagi's forehead, shining brilliantly.

"Parallel Moon Power, Make-Up!"

The shield suddenly dissipated, the lines of power enveloped Kousagi like ribbons. The spectral forms of rabbits from lives past – Bugs Bunny, Alice's White Rabbit, the 15th, 214th and 302nd Easter Bunnies – encircled her and entered into her body as her clothing changed into those of a sailor soldier.

"For love and justice," She reappeared, with rabbit decorations on her buns and tiara, a lilac dress with pale cornflower blue bows and pink boots. She flashed a peace sign over her face. "I am the brand new Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, in this third battle of the new moon, you're punished!"

Vazgorth didn't respond as the remaining children, instinctively realizing what was about to happen, all ran off with a chorus of squeals. He simply gave a huff of indignation as he regathered his energies and concentrated on the hateful figure of Kousagi.

"Damn you."

A giant line of black lightning shot from Vazgorth's hands. Twice the size of Vazgorth himself, it flew towards the new Sailor Moon with a roar.

"YEEEEEK! I don't know..." Her eyes bugged out, Sailor Moon quickly raised a hand up. "M-moon Virge! Come to my hand! QUICK!"

Instantly, a bright pink wand with a giant star jewel on top appeared in her hands. As quickly as she could, she threw the virge in front of her. At the end of the wand, a small crescent moon flashed, and the lightning dispersed at the power that came from it.

"What!" Vazgorth's eyes widened as he poured more power into his attack. "That's impossible! Sailor soldiers are weak against my power!"

"Ugh!" Sailor Moon snarled as the lightning grew stronger. "I'll sh-show you who's weak!"

Another pink shield seemed to form around the girl as she pumped more of her own power into the battle. By this time, the trees around them were almost decimated, the grass completely gone.

"Hmph! Another...shield?" Vazgorth rolled his eyes. "Weakling girl! I'm not surprised that's all you have!"

"That's where you're...hurrgh...mistaken." Sailor Moon closed her eyes. "Cynthia the dentist pink-colored moon cat didn't train her disciple so lightly! This is my t-trademark attack!"

"A _cat_!" At this, Vazgorth cackled. "_A **cat**_! What a stupid ignoramus! I trained alongside the Prince of the Four Hells and the Black Warlocks of Gordanic! I have the best teachers in my universe!"

"...And you _still_ suck." Sailor Moon held out her wand even further. "Tektite Moon..."

Suddenly, the pink light began to condense and wrap into itself, forming a giant outline in front of the soldier. From the sky, glowing meteorites began to fall into the outline, some floating into it, some bouncing off the ground until it connected with the outline. Soon, the form was complete, and the Royal Moon Prince of Xaxalax was suddenly facing one of his worst nightmares.

"..What in...the Haradorian hells..." Vazgorth's eyes widened. "Is _that_!"

It was a gigantic, hot pink cat head made from pink moon tektites, with large sparks for eyeballs and whiskers of fire that were each three feet across. A crescent moon sign shimmered hazily on its head.

"...**MEOW!**"

Like a prototypical Pac Man, the behemoth opened its mouth, revealing sharp white teeth that were each made from several thousand joules of particle energy. Then, with a roar, the teeth clamped down on the black lightning, snapping the beams in half and neutralizing it as it went down the cat head's magical, unseen gullet.

"...u...h.."

Vazgorth could only watch in abject horror. His eyes were huge, and his jaw was on the ground, as he watched his powerful attack get chomped down and swallowed up by what he could only describe as an over-colored piece of cotton candy with cat ears. He was so paralyzed by embarrassment - it was the only motion he could muster up at that moment - that he couldn't move as the cat finally swallowed the rest of his attack and came right up to him.

Then - with a sniff of its prey and a deafening, unholy meow - the cat head burst into a hailstorm of dust, turning Vazgorth into a humiliated pink dust devil.

"Hahaha!"Sailor Moon grinned. "Just like Cynthia taught me! How do you like that! I WIN!"

There was a long silence between that remark and the next. Vazgorth – caked in pink and white, drained of his powers – felt anger and indignation as never before. In a foreign land, no less, his illustrious name had been tarnished, his reputation destroyed. All he could do was let out a scream as he charged at his enemy and headbutted her, knocking her to the ground.

The fight was far from over.

-----------------------

The after lunch tea session was even more awkward than the brunch itself. Everyone was drinking tea, completely quiet.

"...It's cold." Uromamo shuddered. "This t-tea is c-cold like ice. L-like n-needles..."

Naru looked around the circle as everyone else drank their tea in abject silence. The gulf that had suddenly appeared when Chibi-Usa appeared had grown larger, though no one was ready to admit it. At first, Naru had not been sure why everyone was not talking to her, but as the painful minutes went by, she began to make her own theory.

"_Chibi-Usa...will be here soon...!"_

_It has to be. She must exist with them, too. It must be...why else...would they be so hostile...?_

Naru found it amazing, but it made sense, when she thought of her own memories which she herself barely managed to suppress. That was the reason why she, too, was having a somewhat difficult time talking to her sister; it brought up things that Naru wanted to forget on that day. It worried her that it was possible that so many people may have replaced Chibi-Usa in their realities; she wondered how Chibi-Usa came to appear to everyone else.

"Hm...yeah." Gunther made a face as he poured the tea out on the ground. "This is yucky."

"Gunther-chan," Hitoko mumbled. "That is rude of you to pour out tea someone had made for you."

"...Well...the grass can appreciate it for me!"

"Just shut up, Gunther."

That last curt remark was made by Ranami; instinctively, Gunther threw up his hands in preparation. To his shock, nothing happened.

"But...you know," Ranami paused as she brought the cup to her lips, shying away from Gunther as she did so. "I need to say something that's been on my mind for some time since...I got here."

"Huh?"

"Chibi-Usa..." The question seemed to come out of left field. "You...look nothing like I imagined."

"Eh?" Chibi-Usa's head came up at this. "What?"

"I said you look nothing like I imagined."

"...What do you mean, 'than you imagined'?" Chibi-Usa's brow raised at this. "You're from another dimension, right?"

"..Yes, but...you existed there as well."

"What...?"

No one but Chibi-Usa seemed surprised as Ranami's confession came to light. It was especially no surprise to Naru; now she knew for sure hers and Chibi-Usa's were not the only places where the pink-haired girl had existed.

_A-ha! Just as I thought...!_

"It's true." Ranami looked down. "You were the original heir of Crystal Tokyo. You went back to the past to save the world from the Black Moon.."

Ranami turned away as she spoke the last two words. The pink-haired girl's face paled slightly as she began to realize the ramifications of the blue-haired princess' words.

"You...?"

"..My parents gave me your room in the Crystal Palace." Ranami sighed, not looking at Chibi-Usa. "I didn't know about you, until some time ago. My mother never admitted to keeping political prisoners to my face; she always had a smile when she told me that there was no such thing in her world order – that such archaic methods were abolished when the Black Moon came and brought peace and equality. Then I found a box, hidden deep inside my closet, one I never saw before. There was only a small amount of your things left, but there was enough to tell me what had happened to you."

"Ranami-san..."

"You had gone back to the future to show Sailor Moon your mother so she could be healed. Then...Sailor Moon was captured by Diamond, and something happened to her during her imprisonment to cause her to change sides. Before you knew it, you were captured, sent into exile with all the sailor senshi. They killed your father. But you didn't fade right away when you arrived at prison...it took several years for the changes in the time line to take full effect, and you slowly, painfully disappeared in front of Venus' eyes for fourteen years...just around the time I was born..."

"My god."

"Please." Chibi-Usa shut her eyes. "Don't say anymore.."

"...I never forgave my parents for that sin."

Ranami still looked away. Her voice shook again, as it had before when Hitoko and her had argued. This time, though, the anger was far less directed at anyone but herself.

"Ranami-chan." Hitoko's hand suddenly appeared on Ranami's shoulder. "Their sins are not yours. Yeah, people are scared of you because of who you are.."

"..Including Chibi-Usa, obviously..."

"But _you_ didn't physically kill Chibi-Usa."

"...No..."

"Or attempt to, for that matter?"

"Gunther." Hitoko glared at Gunther. "Don't even say it."

"But you-"

"No.."

"Y-y-y-_you_ did, though."

Suddenly, everyone was looking at Uromamo. The purple-haired boy's face was completely sincere and serious at this as he looked at Hitoko.

"Wh._whaaaaat_?" Chibi-Usa's eyes bugged out as she started to scoot off. "T-tourmaline-san never mentioned anyone trying killing me...!"

"Uromamo!" Hitoko's head turned towards the boy, her voice shockingly harsh towards him. "How _dare_ you talk about that! I just _said_...!"

"B-b-b-b-b-but.." Uromamo started to shake. "Y-y-y-you said th-th-th-this m-m-m-orning..th-th-that you d-d-d-d-did.."

".He _is_ right, Hitoko-chan." Ranami couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I guess my sins are paltry in comparison."

"You...I _told_ you already this morning." Hitoko's normally calm face almost crimped up into a snarl at this. "I _told_ you that I don't want to talk about it again!"

"I don't think you have much of a choice now, Hitoko-san."

At this, Ranami's eyes looked over at the other side of the rice pot. Staring at all of them was Chibi-Usa, who's eyes were as wide as saucers as she tried to get up and run off. Restraining her was Casper, who easily kept the much smaller pink-haired girl from escaping. Naru, meanwhile, was just staring at Hitoko in surprise.

"Calm down." Casper shook his head. "She's not _like_ that. It was a mistake, is all."

"But...you tried to kill Chibi-Usa?"

"Goddamn it." Hitoko grit her teeth. "At this moment, Uromamo, you have _no_ idea..."

"I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-im s-s-s-s-s-s-s-sorry!"

"Don't be silly." Ranami shook her head. "He didn't know any better."

"But you guys _know_ that this." Hitoko shut her eyes angrily. "What we said this morning.."

"There's no use hiding it anymore, Hitoko-chan." Casper's voice was low. "You may as well speak of it and get it over with."

"..Chibi-Usa and I missed a lot this morning.." Naru gulped. "Didn't we?"

"Hmph."

To Naru's chagrin, Casper didn't even respond to her question. He simply ignored it as he sat Chibi-Usa down once more.

_What.._ Naru's unease grew at the snub. _What did I say...?_

"All right." Hitoko huffed. "Yes, I really tried to kill you, Chibi-Usa. But I didn't know you were my half-sister at the time. I was tricked into doing it."

"_Half_-sister-"

"I was kidnapped by my grandfather, Sailor Mars' father." Hitoko spat on the ground at this, ignoring Chibi-Usa's exclamation. "The bastard dumped me in an orphanage where they made up the worst lies about my parents. They were drug dealers, they were bums, they sold me for money and dumped me in a garbage bin. Then the caretakers would beat me when I tried to rebel. I hated my life."

"Hitoko..."

"When I finally ran away, I met this guy. Brandon. That's the only name I ever knew him by." Hitoko clenched her fists. "He was a smooth guy. He fed me all this stuff about how much he loved me, how much he cared for me, how we'd never part. Then he started telling me about the imperial regime that ruled Earth, how it was horrible and how it abandoned people like me. He told me, he had this idea.."

Hitoko stopped at this and shook her head. Tears began to form in her eyes, which, to Naru, was a shock. Hitoko seemed so stoic, a rock, the glue of the group, such as it was.

"..Did...you kill them?"

"Of _course_ not," Hitoko hissed, which caused Naru to draw back a little. "We were caught. He injured the queen, of course, but I missed the princess, whom I was supposed to kill. I'm a terrible shot. But they found us, took us in and interrogated us for hours on end. I never i dreamed /i for a moment that I had been used; I just spouted out everything Brandon told me, because I thought it was right."

One tear finally did escape, a tear of rage. It was as if all the years of disillusionment was contained in that droplet, and when it fell to the ground, it shattered, spreading itself around in a million pieces.

"Then Sailor Mercury came in." Hitoko's eyes opened again, filled with more water. "I'll never know how she saw it..but she just started asking me all about my life. I didn't tell her at first, but...eventually, I just broke down and spent a whole hour raging to her about how bad my life was, and how I never...knew my parents...and the next thing I knew.." Hitoko's lip shook. "These two people came in, and...s-said, 'Hitoko. _We're_ your parents.'"

At this, Hitoko buried her head into her hands and let out a long sob. The entire group was dead silent at this; no one said a word. Not even Gunther, who had again been thinking salacious thoughts about Ranami at the beginning, could muster anything at Hitoko's admission.

_Hitoko-chan._

Only Casper showed no overt reaction, as he already knew what had happened. They had been the first two children through the folder, and he had overheard Tourmaline had speaking to Hitoko about what had happened, much to Hitoko's anger. The others had not heard the whole story; they had simply heard that Hitoko had tried to kill the princess of Crystal Tokyo. There had been nothing else beyond that until that moment.

"I.." After a long moment of silence, Hitoko wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Chibi-Usa."

"It's ok.." Looking dazed and fazed, Chibi-Usa rose to leave. "I...it was lovely meeting-"

"Wait."

_"...'ll have two daughters,..." they said._

A flicker of guilt flashed across Naru's mind as she remembered her own crimes. It had been buried in the strange surprises that had happened throughout the day, but at Hitoko's story, the feeling came back, stronger than ever.

"Chibi-Usa..." Naru grabbed her sister's arm. "I'm sorry..."

"Huh?" Chibi-Usa's eyes widened. "What-"

"I..." The memories began to resurface again. "I know you as well. You...you were supposed to be born. Not me. And for years my parents left me on my own, made me feel like dirt because of you. I had no birthdays, no parties, no friends, and nothing I did pleased them. They even tried to change the past so you would be born, even at the cost of my own life! And all I could do was hate you. For as long as I could remember, I hated you."

"Please let me go..." Chibi-Usa looked frightened at these words. "I-"

"And all I want to say is...I'm sorry."

Ranami and Hitoko were about to jump up and stop Naru, but stopped when they heard Naru's final words. They turned towards each other, dumbfounded at what was happening.

_Sorry?_ Hitoko's eye twitched. _She's _sorry _for replacing Chibi-Usa in her reality? I would have thought...with what happened this morning..._

_Strange._ Ranami's eyes drifted. _She was deprived of her parents' love. She finally admitted to it. And yet...unlike...why isn't _she _angry right now?_

Ranami's eye suddenly met Casper's at that moment. There was no confusion in his eyes; there seemed to be annoyance, even disgust and contempt, as he looked at Ranami with his red eyes.

_...Oh. _Ranami's eyes quickly cast themselves down to the ground. _Right. I guess _that's _why I thought Naru-chan would be mad..._

"...Sorry?" Chibi-Usa was also evidently confused. "But...I thought, for sure...you said you hated me."

"I...did. And for a very long time, as I just said." Naru quietly let go of Chibi-Usa's arm. "But...the more I thought about it, after I transformed into Sailor Moon, I realized that...it wasn't me. It certainly wasn't you. It was the people around me. My mother, my father, the senshi. Everyone who was supposed to at least protect me, if not love me as their own. They, who refused to see me as a part of them, who...who simply threw their hands up and called me a failure before I had a chance to prove...m-myself..."

Shutting her eyes tightly, Naru wiped away the tears that were starting to come from her own eyes. In front of her Chibi-Usa's own eyes seemed to start swimming with her own tears of guilt.

"I'm...so sorry." Chibi-Usa looked down. "I had no idea..."

"Oooh...oh." Naru's lip still quivered as she spoke again. "No. I'm the one who's sorry. But I thought you should know that...I forgave you because...you had nothing to do with it. I mean..." She gave a nervous laugh as she smiled at Chibi-Usa. "You shouldn't feel guilty. You're a wonderful person, really, but I admit I'd dreamed for years what it would be like if I had met my phantom sister. At first, the purpose of my dream was to make you feel as miserable as I had felt whenever I was reminded of my place in everyone's heart, but...I came to realize that that would have been wrong."

The rest of the group was completely silent as they all stared at the scene in front of them; it was as if they had the exact same long-festering feelings towards others who may or may not have been present that day. While some in the group felt something of a sympathetic pang for Naru's words, and deigned to forgive those who had wronged them, others were not yet moved by her words of sympathy.

"And now that I've met you, you really are a great person to know." Naru wiped her eyes again, and her smiled widened. "I'm glad I got the chance to meet you, Chibi-Usa-chan. I wouldn't have it any other way than for us to be happy for one another like siblings should be, even though we don't exist alongside one another. So...would you be my sister now?"

Chibi-Usa let out a squeaky sob as she slowly consented with a nod. It was obviously that she was trying to look strong and chipper even after she heard this confession. Before anyone could put in another word, however, the smaller girl had suddenly latched onto Naru, with a bear hug, nearly knocking the air out of her.

"_Yes!_"

Most of those watching unconsciously let out a sigh of relief as the two embraced. Meanwhile, next to Ramami, Gunther had rematerialized with a wide grin on his face. He had seen what had happened and decided that the best way to have Ranami forgive him was to copy Naru's actions.

"Ranami-chan...plum of my eye-"

Gunther was barely in mid-air and gunning for his hug when a fist suddenly pummeled him just over his groin. With his mouth wide open to howl, but no sound coming out, Gunther collapsed on the ground, doubled over, with tears in his eyes

"Hooooomph...!"

"...No." There was an oddly devious smile on Ranami's face, though Gunther couldn't see it, as he was whimpering in pain. "As you said before, we're not related."

"...Damn...it...!"

_So...complicated._

Naru closed her eyes as she hugged her sister back just as tightly tightly, taking in all of the smells and the feeling of her clothing in her hands and locking them into her memory. Thoughts of what her parents might have thought of Chibi-Usa were followed by other thoughts, other feelings.

_I wonder...this sense of closeness..._ Naru sighed. _It's so strange. So many different secrets. It's as if Chibi-Usa and I were in the same boat, somehow...what kind of boat, though, I...I don't know..._

Behind her, Casper's face darkened. He simply turned towards the others; his reaction was written clearly on his face, and the others shuddered to see it.

_...Fool._ His hand grasped the knife in his pocket so tightly that his knuckles turned white. _I...can't stand it...!_

"**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!**"

Suddenly, without warning, the avalanche began. Screams suddenly filled the air as little bodies appeared in front of the group, each silhouette screaming their heads off. Onward they stampeded towards the older ones, with smoke starting to billow in the trees of the glen that was situated behind them.

"What the..."

"Holy crap..!"

Everyone stood up at this. Chibi-Usa and Naru parted from each other's arms to see what was happening, just as the children ran them over. Gunther gave a shout as several of the horde ran to him, screaming and crying at the same time. This scene was repeated with almost everyone else in the group. Soon, amidst the confusion, someone knocked over the tea pot, which drenched the grass, and another person had stomped on Uromamo's feet.

"AAAAAAH!" He grabbed at Ranami and hid behind her. "TOE STEPPERS! Th-th-th-th-th-th-they're af-f-f-f-f-f-f-fter m-m-m-m-me!"

"**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!**"

"What the hell?" Hitoko looked at all the kids screaming at her. "What's going on!"

"**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!**"

"I _got_ that," Hitoko growled. "I'm aski-"

"**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!**"

"HEY, I'm trying to a-"

"**HEEEEEEEEEE-**"

"**_SHUT THE HELL UP!_**"

Everyone instantly stopped as Ranami's voice. Her eyes flashed red for a moment as she looked at the quaking children; after seeing their fightened faces, however, the redness died out.

"Sorry...sorry." She took several deep breaths. "I'm...sorry. That was...my mistake."

"...Heeelp!"

"Hmm?" Ranami felt someone tug at her jacket. "What? What _is_ it!"

"It's..." At this, a silver-haired girl with strange clothing whimpered. "It's terrible!"

"And you are...?"

"...Z...Zandra." The girl gulped. "Zukino...Zandra."

"...Interesting." Ranami roughly grabbed Gunther's hand, which had somehow gotten dangerously close to her behind once more. "What's going on here?"

"Th-the..." Zandra gulped. "The...lightning. We...w-we were trying to g-get back at him...for being mean...b-but he...he a-attacked us!"

"He...?"

"The mean kid!"

"...Vazgorth."

The older kids looked at one another; even among them, they knew what Vazgorth was capable of. They turned back towards the kids to examine them more closely. Many of them had small burns and bruises on their arms, their hands, their faces. Some were covered in whip cream, which made little sense to Gunther.

"What..." Gunther poked at a pile of the white stuff. "What is this?"

"M-m-m-m-m-_mind control cream!_"

"It's whip cream, Gunther-san."

"N-n-n-n-no!" Uromamo's eyes bugged out as he violently pointed towards the kid. "Th-th-they put min c-c-c-control cream on you and n-n-n-n-now y-y-y-you can't think or eat or sleep and it's b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-"

"Uromamo-chan."

Instantly, Hitoko's wrists were up for Uromamo to see. Without hesitation, Uromamo grabbed on as tightly as he could, tears coming to his eyes.

"Is...is h-h-he...?"

"Mind control doesn't work here," Hitoko responded quietly. "This is just the work of a little brat."

"Y-y-you sure?"

"Yes, Uromamo-chan."

"A little brat we need to take care of, right?"

"Well," One kid raised his hand up. "Kousagi-chan is fighting him! At least she was when I ran off. But he's a bully, so who knows what he's done to her!"

"Kousagi..." Chibi-Usa's eyes widened. "Oh dear. Not _her_..."

"You know her?"

"She's my younger sister."

"_Really_?" Ranami's eyes widened slightly. "But surely, I thought you were an only child in this dimension...?"

"..In another dimension, of course. Not here." Chibi-Usa huffed. "But she's been a handful for the entire day."

"Well...I don't see any of the chaperones." Ranami sighed. "Tourmaline-san or the senshi. Looks like we'll have to diffuse the situation."

"I guess so." Hitoko looked over at Chibi-Usa. "You up for it?"

"I have to be, don't I?" Chibi-Usa smiled slightly. "This is my dimension, after a-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! DIE!"

The banter was interrupted by the sudden, violent entrance of two small, dirty, bloody figures, tumbling through the grass and dust headlong into the crowd. Screaming, the kids began to stampede away at the sight.

"RUUUN! IT'S VAZGORTH!"

"EEEEEK!"

"_HANG_ on!" Hitoko's voice rose above the squabble. "Calm down, everyone..."

"_Dirty_ little..."

"No you _don't_!"

The two tiny combatants could not have fought harder if their rivalry had spanned for years instead of hours. There was punching, kicking, spitting, slapping, scratching and biting going on for both sides. Blood started to spurt lightly on the ground, and grunting and crying could be heard from within the cloud that covered Vazgorth and Sailor Moon.

"Get _off_-"

"RAAGH!"

"My finger!"

"Miserable cur!"

"_Umph...!_"

As the dust finally cleared, and the two fighters could be seen more clearly, the damage became far more apparent. The two had obviously run out of energy to use their powers and had been fighting physically for some time. Kousagi's virge was broken in half at her side, her blue cheek puffed out considerably and a long streak of blood trickled from a large scratch over her left eye. Vazgorth had many bruises, and his cape was torn and tattered; his mouth was trickling blood, and one of his teeth were missing. The ferociousness of the battle made even Hitoko reluctant to intervene.

"I..." The black-haired girl gave a gulp. "I'm at a loss..."

"So am I..." Chibi-Usa's eyes were as wide as basketballs. "That little brat is a _sailor senshi_!"

"Apparently."

"Have the people in my dimension lost their sake cups?"

"...I don't know that expression could come from you," Hitoko's eyebrows went up at this. "But, I'll take your word on it being a legitimate phrase and say yes."

"Wow!" Gunther's mouth dropped. "This is more violent than an Apache raid."

"Stop joking around, Gunther. We have to stop them before they kill each other!"

"Damn you!" Vazgorth went to elbow Sailor Moon in the face. "I'll make you cry for your god!"

"You evil bully!" The elbow barely missed Kousagi, who dug her nails onto Vazgorth's clothing. "I'll...I'll rip your heart out!"

"...But..." Gunther pouted. "I'm _not_ joking..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Uromamo jumped back with a squeal as they started rolling towards him. "D-d-d-d-d-d-d-don't k-k-k-k-kill me! I s-s-s-s-s-s-s-surrender-!"

"AAH!" The kids also began to panic and run again. "Heeelp!"

"_Shit_." Hitoko grumbled as she attempted to get near them. "Come _on_, you two! Stop fi-"

She was interrupted when, without warning, Vazgorth's leg shot out and kicked Hitoko in the shin. Whether it was intentional or not was moot; either way, Hitoko was on the ground, swearing.

"You little...!" Hitoko sucked in a breath as she held her leg. "Damn it all..."

"Stupid kids." Ranami's eyes suddenly changed red. "They just don't learn, do they?"

"Huh!" Gunther's eyes widened at the sight of Ranami's change, and he quickly began to back away. "Oh no! I didn't do anythi-"

"Someone catch one of them. Because one of them..."

"...Huh?"

Suddenly, Ranami's red eyes turned completely white, and she held her hands out in front of her towards the fighting children. Black lightning crackled on her fingertips; on her forehead, the Black Moon sign flashed brightly, and on her ears, her sword-shaped earrings flapped around wildly.

"Black Moon Wall!"

It was like a black seed formed between the two children, even as they clung to each other as tight as a chain. The black seed of a perpendicular tree that suddenly grew in between the two combatants and attacked each one. Like a spider with its prey, they were each grabbed by long tendrils of energy.

"What the-"

"HEY!"

Then, needing little prompting from Ranami, the tendrils split in half. Vazgorth was kept pinned to the ground while Sailor Moon was flung high into the air, screaming within an inch of her life.

"**WAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa..."

"Aaaaack!" Gunther squinted as he ran around, trying to keep track of Kousagi. "DON'T WORRY, I'VE GOT YOU!"

"...aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAA**-OOF!"

She landed in Gunther's arms, hitting him in the stomach with the force of several hundred punches from his beloved Ranami. In an instant, Gunther lay flattened on the ground, whimpering in pain as Sailor Moon sat on him, shaking from head to toe from her near-death experience. On the ground, the tendrils released Vazgorth.

"Good catch, Gunther." There was a smirk from Ranami as she spoke. "You almost missed her, though. But I guess that doesn't matter. That was...nice of you."

"...than...ou..." Gunther's unconscious voice squeaked in agony in response. "Uuuuuuh..."

"_Why you-_"

"Right!" Before Vazgorth could react to the situation, Hitoko grabbed him from behind. "Quick, Chibi-Usa-chan, grab his legs!"

"...Right!" With a slight smile on her face, Chibi-Usa grabbed. Him. "I think you need a good punishment this time, Vazgorth."

"NO!" Vazgorth struggled to no avail against his female poachers. "Let me GO, you disgusting, vile..."

"If this his how he treats people," Hitoko was obviously aghast at the boy's behavior. "He needs a good spanking or something."

"Indeed he does."

The group turned around to see Tourmaline standing at the top of the hill. Her expression, though still placid on the outside, hid a speck of something that obviously scared the younger children; every one of them shook slightly as she approached them, her own group of kids trailing her alongside the sailor soldiers.

"Damn." Makoto spotted Kousagi and thumped Rei on the shoulder. "Look at her! I can't believe he'd beat up a girl like that..."

"Well..." Rei looked at Vazgorth with a hint of disinterest as she walked over to Kousagi, a first aid pack at her side. "He doesn't look too much better than she does."

Vazgorth snarled as he saw Rei take out some anti-septic ointment and band aids from her bag. With quick fingers, she began to rub the ointment onto Sailor Moon's wounds; Kousagi began to draw back slightly from her as it was applied. After a moment, though, she untransformed and acquiescently gave Rei her arm to treat.

"Th-thank you..."

"Ooooh." Vazgorth rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ you help _her_. Now let me _go!_"

"No way." Chibi-Usa held on tighter to his legs. "You're not going anywhere this time."

"Tourmaline-san." Ranami bowed her head down. "I...we were about to come you to about this."

"It's all right, Ranami. I was informed of this little brawl by some very upset and concerned people and I came as quickly as I can." She gave the shadow of a very angry glare towards Vazgorth. "I think you've out done yourself this time, Vazgorth. And you're definitely not getting away with it."

"No!"

"You're coming back with me right now, Vazgorth. We'll give you some treatme-"

"NO!" Vazgorth squealed like the little brat he was, and he tried to kick Chibi-Usa. "I don't HAVE to listen to _YOU_! You're _NOT_ my mother!"

"...On the contrary, I think you'll find that you have no choice." The glare darkened, and two violet eyes almost seemed to flash red, as Tourmaline came closer. "I don't think you want to go against me again, boy. I may not be all-powerful like you, but I guarantee you that you've tried my patience. If you anger me any further, you _will_ regret it."

There was something truly frightening in Tourmaline's voice when she spoke those last words. Even the older children stiffened as they heard her voice; they knew she wasn't trying to scare all of them, that it was mostly meant for Vazgorth, who needed a great deal of intimidation to back down. Even so, any doubt that Beryl's blood could have possibly run through such a sweet and kind person like Tourmaline Chiba's veins was instantly erased.

"I...you..." Vazgorth's will visibly cracked as he saw that Tourmaline wouldn't back down. "Damn you."

"I knew you'd see it my way." At this, Tourmaline's natural kindness reasserted itself. "Now, Hitoko and Chibi-Usa. I think you should take him up to our station; Minako-san is still there, so she'll oversee these naughty children as they take their time-out for the rest of their stay here."

"W-what!" Vazgorth's eyes widened. "No...you can't...you can't _do_ that!"

"Oh, and you _will_ be turning Shields Darien back into a human."

"NOOO!" Vazgorth gave her the glare of a broken man as he was carried off. "I hate you...hate...you..."

"Um, Tourmaline-san." Ranami looked at the older woman, slightly confused."How do you mean _these_ naughty...?"

"Rei-san." She looked over at the other black-haired girl, who was tending to Kousagi. "She will be taking time-out also."

"Mmm...But I don't wanna."

"I'm sorry, Kousagi." Tourmaline shook her head. "But you roused all the kids to fight Vazgorth and then you got into a fight with him. You really should have talked to me before doing that; instead you got yourself badly hurt, and a number of other kids were hurt as well."

"I..." Kousagi's annoyed expression turned into one of guilt. "But I didn't mean to hurt other people."

"Ooooh," Underneath her, Gunther moaned as he finally gained full consciousness. "My _head_..."

"Well, you didn't mean to, but it happened that way." Rei wiped blood off of Kousagi's forehead. "You're a sailor senshi. You're supposed to be better than this, instead of getting into petty fights you know you can't win."

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Kousagi turned away, tears in her eyes. "I guess I'm just stupid, then. Just like the girls tell me..."

"I know you're sorry." Rei turned the lavender-haired girl's face back to her. "The others know you are too. But that doesn't always heal the hurts that are dealt. You still must accept all the consequences of your actions as a sailor senshi. Do you understand me?"

"O...ok."

"And don't cry." Ranami watched as Rei smiled, wiping the tears from the girl's eyes. "You're not stupid. You're learning. Just remember this as a lesson, and next time don't get into this kind of fight."

"I..." Kousagi sniffed. "I p-promise."

"All right." Rei held her hand out. "You have some time to think about it now, so come on. And don't worry about Vazgorth. He won't try anything on you. I promise."

With a sad smile, Kousagi slowly nodded. She grabbed Rei's hand, ready for her punishment, ready to be led to the rest of her day.

_She's...It's just a lesson for me. Just time-out. A punishment so I can be a better sailor._

When Rei wasn't looking, however, her expression upturned into a smile all of a sudden. In the background, she could hear Vazgorth screaming bloody murder.

_Hehehe...I won!_

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	8. Revenge of Naru's Shadow

_**MISPERCEPTION**_

_**Revenge of Naru's Shadow**_

"I **HATE YOU!**"

Hitoko and Chibi-Usa exchanged murderous looks oas they brought Vazgorth up the hill and across the park meadow on their way to the table. After they had left the company of Tourmaline, Vazgorth suddenly found his bravery, and was doing his best to escape the two girls.

"...Seriously. Shut up."

They had only known him for five minutes, and both just wanted to strangle him. Hitoko was especially tempted to do so, as she was at the upper part of his body, and so had ample opportunity to do so.

"LET ME GO, WENCHES!" He kept screaming and fussing, drawing the attention of everyone as they passed. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

"Only when we get to the time-out corner."

"Your impure blood will turn the river red!" The boy kept screeching. "And once my parents come to save me, your world will be destroyed, and the bodies of every single citizen will be strung up inside the room of the Obsidian Throne and mocked for its insolence!"

"Start mocking," Hitoko mumbled as she took out a leftover napkin from her pocket. "In the meantime..."

Without warning, the napkin went straight down into Vazgorth's mouth as he opened it to scream even more. His eyes wide, he found himself unable to spit it out, as his face was turned towards the sky. He could only glare dejectedly as Hitoko as they continued on.

"Wow!" Chibi-Usa grinned. "That makes a big difference, Hitoko-chan."

"Yes...Chibi-Usa-chan." Hitoko paused. "It's still so strange to call you that, you know? No offense, but I do not have much contact with the you of my reality. I've been too afraid to...well..."

"It's ok." Chibi-Usa looked down. "I was...actually worried when you guys didn't talk to me. I thought I'd done something wrong."

"Of course not." Hitoko's face flushed at this. "It's just hard. Hard to...well, you know."

"Face it?"

Hitoko looked back up at Chibi-Usa with a small bit of surprise at this. She was faced towards Chibi-Usa, so she was walking backwards towards the table where the senshi were sitting.

"...Yeah." Hitoko's eyes blinked at this. "You know?"

"Yeah, I know guilt." Chibi-Usa nodded. "Everyone here seems to carry a lot of it. Maybe that's why we're all here today."

"...Maybe." Hitoko looked up thoughtfully. "Then again, Tourmaline hasn't been completely forthcoming. But it makes sense if it ends up being that way."

"But yeah, there's a lot of things I've done that I'm not proud of." Chibi-Usa nodded. "A whole lot of things."

"Like taking the Silver Crystal from your mother?"

"...Yeah, things like that." At this, Chibi-Usa gave a chuckle. "I forgot, it happens that way in your dimension too."

"It sure did." Hitoko smiled back. "Chibi-Usa-chan."

At that moment, the two realized they had reached their moment of understanding with one another. It was for Hitoko, especially, to realize that it wasn't too late for her to reconnect with her older sister, who was, in essence, standing in front of her and yet at the same time not present.

"MMMMMPH!" The two were jarred back to reality by Vazgorth. "Mmmm mmmmp mmmmmhur!"

"So..." With a smirk, Chibi-Usa looked up and saw the table and Minako. "Hitoko-chan, do you like cupcakes?"

"Love them? I make them all the time."

"You have a favorite recipe?"

"Mmm." Hitoko smiled as she closed her eyes in remembrance. "Marble cupcakes with chocolate icing."

"Oooh, that's good." Chibi-Usa licked her lips. "But you know what's better...Chocolate with vanilla icing."

"No way."

"Way!"

"I highly doubt it."

"You just go to a bakery when you get back to your dimension and try one!"

"Try what?"

At this, the two girls turned around and saw that they had gotten right up to the table. Minako was staring at them, a gleam in her eyes and a line of drool on her chin.

"Did someone say..." The borders of the blonde's mouth twitched. "_Cupcakes?_"

"Um..." Hitoko gulped. "We were only talking about it. We don't have any."

"...Oh." The blonde frowned at this. "I see you're just here to drop off the brat."

"Yes."

"Very well." Minako gave a huff and turned her nose up as she grabbed Vazgorth and yanked him away from the two. "I understand, you don't want to share. Very well then! Go back to Uromamo-chan and Ranam-chani and Naru-chan and Casper, and that weird horny guy with your cupcakes. Enjoy them all without me."

"Minako-chan!" Chibi-Usa sweat. "I'm telling you. We _don't_ have-"

"Casper."

Chibi-Usa froze at Hitoko's voice. It sounded shocked, almost panicked. Indeed, as Chibi-Usa turned to look at Hitoko, her eyes were wide, and her face was completely pale.

"...Naru-chan." She suddenly broke into a dead run, leaving Minako with Vazgorth and leaving Chibi-Usa to chase her down, once she realized what had happened. "Shit. **_SHIT_**!"

----------------

"...Mmmmph."

When Rei had picked Kousagi up and brought her to time-out, Gunther was finally released to stand. He gave a moan as he rose, holding his stomach and rubbing his back as he did.

"Ugh, that _hurt_." There were streams of tears in his eyes. "I didn't think kids were that heavy!"

"Well then." Ranami stood near him, looking at the group of kids as they dispersed and went on their own once more. "You should be around them more."

"Hah."

Gunther mumbled a few incomprehensible German words as he looked at Ranami. To his surprise, she was looking back at him; once their eyes met, though, her head quickly turned away, her face flushed red.

"...So." Gunther smirked. "That was a good fight."

"I wouldn't...call it good."

"Well, it was pretty big."

"Yeah...I guess."

"You..." Gunther's own cheeks reddened. "You did a good job with separating them."

"And...you did a good job catching that girl."

"Thank you."

"You're...welcome."

Ranami's face slowly turned back to look at Gunther's, but she quickly turned away again before their eyes met, her hand under her chin. This time, there was no mistaking it in Gunther's opinion; she was flushed for a reason that was other than embarrassment of exhaustion.

"A-**HA**!"

"What!"

"I KNEW it! Your cheeks!"

"Knew what?"

"...Yoooou..." Gunther's finger started to wag. "_Liiiiiiiiike_ me!"

"**WHAT?**" With a squeal in her voice, Ranami quickly turned away. "_NO_! Absolutely not!"

"Yoooou dooooo!"

"I would _never_ a perverted little card-toting knave like you!"

"Yessss you would!" Gunther gave a toothy grin as he began to dance victoriously around the Black Moon princess, pinching her behind as he did. "Heee heee! Yaaaay! She likes me! She _likes_ me! _SHE REALLY **LIKES** ME-_"

The next thing Gunther knew, he was back down on the ground, a knee shoved into his abdomen. Ranami's face was above him, her eyes now sparkling red to accompany her flushed cheeks.

"_Meeeeep!_"

"Listen here, you jerk." Ranami's voice was low. "You're not as cunning as you think you are. You may be good with cards, but you're mistaken to think that makes you a wonderful person. You must be as immature as that Vazgorth kid and almost as stupid. I would _never_ admit to liking someone like you in public, so you'd better stop making an ass out of yourself and shut up."

Gunther's face fell as she spoke. He had been buoyed by the hope that, at long last, someone really liked him, only to have it deflate like a balloon in front of him. He looked down guiltily, staring at Ranami's kneecap as it came off of him. This was replaced by Ranami's face suddenly appearing mere inches from his own, and he visibly stiffened, awaiting another blow.

"Hmm." To her surprise, her face went to the right, and her voice came right up to his ear. "But privately...you're not so bad. Maybe I _do_ like you, if you straighten up your act..."

Gunther's eyes bugged as he felt another sensation on his face. It was the brief sensation of two soft lips gently grazing his lips, leaving the mark of his – and, though he didn't know it – her – first kiss.

"...buh...buuuuuh."

When Ranami lifted her head and stood up, Gunther's face was red to the point where it turned purple. He had a silly smile on his face, and the look in his eyes was dreamy and distant, as if he had just tasted his first ice cream sundae. Ranami couldn't help but smile back, even as he began to drool.

_Heh. I guess you're not so bad after all..._ A bead of sweat fell from her forehead. _If you'd just stop pinching my butt..._

"RAAAAAAAAAH!"

The moment of euphoria was interrupted by the all-too-familiar scream. In an instant, Gunther and Ranami's heads were turned towards the glen, where a figure stumbled down the hill and fell at them.

"Sp-sp-sp-sp-sp-sp-sp-SPIDER!" There were tears in Uromamo's eyes as he shook. "I-i-i-it's a spider n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-noooo don't let it get me please please p-p-p-p-p-p-p-leeease..."

"Uromamo-chan!" Ranami's hands instantly went out. "It's ok. Don't be scared. Spiders aren't evil here."

"H-h-h-h-h-h-how can you be sure!" Uromamo's eyes were huge as his head lurched around. "Th-th-th-th-the agents are e-e-e-everywhere. They always w-w-w-watch you."

"Uromamo-chan." Ranami held her hands out further. "Take them, please."

For a moment, Ranami's offer was not taken up. Uromamo's head still lurched to and fro, his eyes darting underneath his eyeglasses, as if he was still searching for the enemy of his world. Gunther, still on the ground, looked on; though he was not privy to Uromamo's past, even he could sense something was amiss.

_Woah..._ Gunther stared at Uromamo as he finally took Ranami's wrists. _What's got into him?_

"Th-they're here." Uromamo's excitement did not greatly abate after he took her wrists. "I s-saw it. I s-s-saw _him_."

"What?" Ranami could only smile. "Uromamo-chan, there are no agents here. Tourmaline-san made sure of that remember?"

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-NO!" To Ranami's surprise, the purple-haired boy shook his head violently and grabbed onto her wrists even tighter. "Sh-sh-sh-she didn't! One. Th-th-there's one. H-h-h-h-h-he's here. He's after m-m-m-me!"

"Uromamo-"

"I s-s-s-saw him. He was w-w-w-w-with us...smiling, happy, pret-t-t-tending...and he t-t-t-took her...into the b-b-bad place." Uromamo's head shakily turned towards Ranami's right. "Th-th-th-th-th-the bad p-p-p-p-place, with his own stuff. He took her in the d-d-d-dust, t-t-t-took her bad, and t-t-t-told her it was hanging now. Th-th-th-th-that's what I heard, I heard it oh god they are using her as bait please p-p-p-p-please save me, PLEASE!"

"He..." Something in Ranami's heart froze. "He took _who_?"

"N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-"

At this point, Uromamo completely broke down and grasped Ranami's wrists so tightly that he nearly snapped them in half. Then, when he could not break her, he simply gave a scream of fear which echoed through the area, and collapsed in front of her, bawling his eyes out.

_...N..._

Ranami's eyes widened at this. Uromamo wasn't making it up; someone had been taken. It was not, however, by an agent from his dimension.

Then it hit her.

_Naru._

Casper and Naru had been gone for the past ten minutes.

-----------------------

i_ "This is ending..."_

_Earlier that morning._

"_She's coming. You're really letting her come." The red eyes flashed at the words it spoke. "I can't believe it."_

"_Casper-san..."_

"_That she would dare show her face here..."_

"_Casper-san!"_

"_After what she did!"_

"_Don't do it." Hitoko could see the glittering item in his hand. She kept a stern face regardless. "I don't care how mad you are. If I'm willing to put aside my feelings, you should too."_

"_I'm not going to promise a total stranger something I can't keep."_

"_Casper." At this, Tourmaline appeared from the shadows. "I know you've had a terrible past. I know about you, and about your life. You family. Do you think you are the only person in that situation?"_

"_I don't care." Casper's voice became raised. "You would never understand either way!"_

"_I _do _understand." Tourmaline's voice became firm. "Better than you know. And I will not let you do what you please just because you have a grudge. You don't even know her. You may be surprised at what she had gone through herself."_

"_You mean at how _perfect _she is?"_

"_Stop it." The firmness sharpened. "Or I will send you home this minute. I will not let you ferment your hatred here. Don't think I will hesitate to stop you at whatever cost..."_

_...You know what? Bite me, Tourmaline._

Naru wasn't sure exactly how it happened; it had been all too fast. First, the children had run down the hill, there was screaming, and then Ranami's voice commanding everyone to stop. Then, she felt a strong grip on her hand.

"This is ending." She recognized it as Casper's voice. "Get over here."

"Wha-"

Before she could respond, she was being pulled through the trees and bushes; beyond them was more park, but this part was completely devoid of children from other realities. In the distance, she could see more buildings in the style of the old city of Tokyo, before it had become the capital of Earth; she had no time to marvel at it, because Casper was pulling her too fast.

"Casper-san!" Naru could not help but be concerned at the sudden actions undertaken by her brother in spirit. "What...what are you doing? The fight is probably in the...other direction..."

There was no response from Casper as they walked further. The lake that straddled the park came closer to the two; the trees sparse, the grass longer and the rocks more abundant. There was sidewalk right next to the lake, but no one walked; the setting sun began to blaze orange, shining into Naru's right eye as she struggled to keep up with Casper.

"Casper-san! What's going on!"

"...Hmph. You're _always_ forgiven for your sins, aren't you," he mumbled under his breath. Naru could barely hear him as he huffed. "Sooo forgiving. Soo _perfect_. Because _nothing_ could _possibly_ faze you in the least. You're so good at _everything._ There's _always_ a solution when _you're_ around..."

The words fueled him on; the anger began to course through him, stronger than ever. He suddenly squeezed her arm so tightly that her wrist began to tingle.

_Casper-san?_

Naru went to reach for her transforming pen; perhaps seeing it would help her escape, as she was becoming more frightened by the minute. When she searched, however, she realized it was nowhere to be found. In her wisdom of packing everything down to Naru's floss, Chibi-Usa had forgotten to pack it. Or perhaps it was intentional; it was supposed to be a day of peace.

Whatever it was, Naru would never know. All that she knew was that Casper was doing something she didn't like, and she became more fearful for her safety – perhaps even for her life – the further they got from the children and Tourmaline. Soon, they were halfway across the lake, in a spot darkened by the shadow of a large building which bordered the park, where no one was and no one would bother to be.

"Casper-san! _Please!_" Desperate, Naru was shaking violently as she tried to break free from Casper's hold on her. "What-"

"Shut up."

With a sudden turn, he released her, then roughly pushed her away from him. She staggered several feet before she came to a stop on her knees, bending over towards the ground.

"I've had enough." That hissing voice that Casper had used when speaking of Uromamo's secret returned, and it shook as well. "I've had enough of this..."

"Casper-san..." Bewildered, Naru turned to face the red-haired boy. "What's going on-"

"I said s_hut up_."

The slap came out of nowhere. It wasn't a terrible strong blow, but it was enough to throw Naru's head to the side and leave a large red hand mark on her face. With a cry, Naru jumped up to avoid Casper's hands, and stared at him, holding her hand on her cheek.

"What..." Naru successfully fought her tears back. "Is _wrong_ with you! All of a sudden...!"

"...You just don't get it, do you?" Casper's red eyes seemed to flash hellfire at her as he began to step "I guess not. For someone who's such an _angel_, you're as stupid as a basket."

"Casper-sa-"

"Don't 'Casper-san' me." He took another step closer. "You don't deserve to call me that. Not after what you've done to me."

"What...?"

"You're _so_ wonderful." Casper's eyes rolled up towards the sky. "Always finding the solution to everything, hmm? Always knowing what to say, hmm?Always being loved by everyone..."

Casper's face darkened as he looked down towards the ground. His hands balled up into fists so tightly that Naru could see lines of blood lining his fingertips.

"You have no idea...how long I've kept in..." He looked back up at Naru. "How much I _hate_ you."

Naru stared Casper, her eyes wide with shock. There was no mask covering his face, no charade of cheerfulness to pay her lip service. It suddenly became crystal clear what had been hanging over the group the entire time, at least in regards to her.

_Casper...san...?_

She could not comprehend the hatred towards her. They had just met for the first time. It had only been several hours before that she never even knew he had existed. Had it not been for Tourmaline, she would have spent her entire life completely ignorant of his, and all the other children's, existences.

But his hatred seemed sincere, long-simmering, eternal. That was no longer on that day; the anger was finally right there in full force, and Naru could literally feel it go through her. Yet for all of it's intensity, Naru could not help but feel as if it there was also sadness and anguish in his eyes, seeing them glisten slightly in the dark.

It was as if she could identify those feelings because it was as if she had once experienced such inner turmoil herself.

"...Why...?"

"Why do _you_ care?" Casper's upper lip almost curled into a snarl. "It's not as if _you'd_ understand. Your parents accepted _you_ even after you were born. At least _you_ had a chance to be accepted."

"What are you-"

"Did I tell you to talk?" Another slap came, harder than before. "It's _my_ turn now! You've talked enough!"

"Ow!" Naru shut her eyes tightly as she held her cheek again, hoping to fight the tears again. "You're hurting me...!"

"Good." The sharpness in his voice carried a hint of satisfaction. "I'm glad. I'm glad I could hurt you after all the years you've hurt me."

"I..."

"They always loved you more."

Naru felt a tear escape from her eyes despite her fight. It trickled down her cheek and fell off her chin to the ground. The words Casper spoke again felt familiar, and she shuddered as the realization slowly came to the forefront of her mind.

"They never let me forget." She didn't see Casper put his hands into his pockets. "They never let me forget who I was...and who I wasn't. Why do you think I'm just 'Casper', huh? Why do you think I don't have a transformation stick like you?"

_...Chibi...Usa._

"My mother always dressed in black in front of me." Casper's voice shook even more. "My father never called me by my real name, because it wasn't yours. And both them and those women that guarded them always looked at me with utter shame."

_Just...as it was...with me..._

"They always made sure to remind me who they _really_ loved." Tears began to fall from Casper's eyes. "They made me sleep in your room, just as they had made it for your birth, with all your photographs in it, but I've never been photographed.. I was only allowed to see them for one hour a day – no hugging or talking, just silence. I was never allowed to play outside, or have a real education like other kids. I never got birthday presents or Christmas presents."

_...And Chibi-Usa...then..._

"I was never allowed to have anything. They never even let me have their name! ' i Kyaku-san, kyaku-san /i '. The intruder. That's the only other name they'd _ever _given me!"

_You...and...me...?_

"So how would _you_ ever understand!" Casper shut his eyes, his voice almost squeaking. "They always loved you. _Always_. They _never_ loved me! They wanted to make me disappear! They actually tried to go back to the past _twice_ and _destroy_ me!"

"That...can't be...!"

_A parent...always loves their child...no matter what...it...must...be...and yet..._

Naru slowly looked up at Casper, her face filled with shock. Hearing the words come from Casper's mouth almost seemed laughably close to those that Naru might have spoken a year before she had awoken. The feelings she had felt about usurping the angelic Chibi-Usa, and the doubts she had finally just put to rest that very day.

Now she couldn't believe that the tables had turned so suddenly, so violently, and that it was now she that was the angelic Naru, facing her own shadow, as he finally took his knife out of his pocket..

"No, that..." Naru's eyes widened. "That's not the way!"

"It's _my _way."

"It doesn't..." Naru started to back away. "It doesn't have to be..."

"It _will_ be." The knife flicked open. "For over half a millennium, I've dreamed of this moment."

"Please...!" Naru's lips quivered from the betrayal. "_Please_, listen, I know how you feel!"

"You have no idea how happy this will make me..."

"Me and Chibi-Usa!" Naru kept talking as she kept backing off. "Me and Chibi-Usa, it was the same thing! That's wh-why I talked to her. I...I had to let go!"

"You just had to ruin everything...they just have to keep trying to return to the past..."

"Please..." Naru's hand turned into a shaking fist. "_Don't!_"

"You always ruined everything! No one ever loved me because of you!" The knife glinted in the setting sun as Casper raised it. "Naru, I will always _HATE YOU!_"

"**NO!**"

Naru knew that she wasn't going to be able to transform into a sailor soldier. But her life was in danger regardless. She had wanted to love Casper, he had seemed like a nice guy in the beginning. Unfortunately, for her, in the end he turned out to be a jerk.

So as he came towards her, she punched him in the stomach.

"AARRR!"

The knife flew out of Casper's hands as Naru landed another punch into his stomach, followed by a kick to his shin. He went down quickly, just as Naru imagined; he was not trained as a sailor senshi as she had been.

He got back up even more quickly and landed a chop on her neck, sending her spinning away from him. He started to move towards her again, his own hands moving fluidly, just as he had been taught.

_Movement number 4..._ Ever since he vowed revenge, over and over he watched everything the Master did, repeated many of his moves in the gym, over and over, for over one hundred years. _The dragon whips his tail._

With a lightning fast roundhouse, he got her in the legs, throwing her on the ground, just as Bruce Lee once did. He quickly turned and lunged towards the knife. But Naru jumped up and grabbed his pants, causing him to trip and fall. She quickly threw herself on top of Casper, grabbing at his hand to prevent him from getting the knife.

"Stop!" Naru grunted as managed to grab Casper's wrists. "You can't do this! This...is-"

"AARGH!"

Casper's response was to wrest himself from her grasp and land a wild punch into Naru's face. It wasn't hard, but it caused Naru to throw her head back. It was the momentum Casper needed to roll over on his side, grab Naru's hair at the base of her pigtail, and toss her off, sending her tumbling towards a tree.

"UGH!"

Naru shook the grass out of her head as Casper grabbed the discarded knife again. Both were covered in dirt and grass; a small line of blood tricked down Naru's nose. They glared at each other, Naru because she'd been tricked, and Casper because he wished nothing less than her death.

"It looks like this is how it ends." He walked towards her as she sat, the knife shadowed by the building. "At last, I win."

"I won't let you..._ugh!_"

Naru had started to stand, but suddenly found herself unable to move. She looked over and, to her horror, her foot was snugly lodged underneath a tree root. She pulled and strained, but the root refused to budge.

"No..." Her actions became more desperate, more forced, as Casper came upon her. "No!"

"Good bye, Naru." He bent down, pulled on her pigtail and forced her head up, exposing her neck. "Enjoy eternity."

"_Enjoy eternity, Pluto."_

Naru shut her eyes tightly and ducked under, even as she still struggled to get free of the tree root. Yet, deep down, she knew she wasn't going to get away from Casper or his vengeance in time. She had seen the rage in his eyes, felt the roughness of his hands as he had thrown her to the ground, punched her in the face.

_"...It's my life.!"_

Thoughts of life and death flashed through her mind in an instant as opened her eyes for one more instant, and saw the knife come towards her in an arc guaranteed to slice her throat. Yet in her mind, which went by its own time line, an instant was eternal. The memories came slowly, clearly, as fresh as they were the day the events had happened. Even events she did not recall ever living through seemed to come to her as the silver went to penetrate her flesh.

_"You disgust me. Both of you."_

_"Time is a river of constant change. Its eventual course is never certain."_

_"Disrespectful." _

_"Something's wrong."_

_"She's wrong. We'll prove her wrong."_

_"Why was the wrong Princess born, Pluto?"_

_"You are not Chibi-Usa."_

_"It's MY life!"_

_"Small Lady does not exist."_

_"She's gone! Dead! Never coming back!"_

_"As long as there is hope, they will never be able to let go."_

_"You can't replace her."_

_"They want to destroy me, do you know that?"_

_"Something...sad...happened, I think, but I can not remember it now."_

_"Nobody can. Ever."_

_" IT'S **MY **LIFE!"_

_Casper-san...we are the same. Please..._

Naru had her eyes closed, still waiting for the blow, still waiting for the pain to begin. She wondered if death was really painless like that, that perhaps her mind was blocking out the agony that she was really experiencing at the moment.

Then she opened her eyes.

"**I HATE YOU!**"

The knife was within four inches of her throat, not a centimeter closer. Yet there was no danger in it coming any closer, for the look in Casper's face – the pale hue, the violent shaking of his lips, the widened eyes as he saw what he was doing with the knife - said it all.

"_Come on, tough guy. What's wrong?" The harsh sound of an older man's voice as it turned away from the light, a knife at his own throat as Casper cornered his imposing frame. "This is what you always wanted, isn't it? If it will take the pain away...you can just go off and do it."_

Tears streamed down Casper's eyes as he let out an inhuman scream, letting go of Naru's hair and turning away from her. It was filled with pain – Naru couldn't figure out who exactly it was directed to. Perhaps it was to his deity, perhaps to his distant parents and guardians, perhaps to Tourmaline, or the forces of fate that brought him to the moment that he always wished he had, a moment he was in at that very instant.

"_See?" There had been a triumphant smile on the regal figure as Casper had backed down."It wouldn't matter what you did...because you never mattered. To anyone."_

There was a great splash in the lake as the glittering knife was flung in, sinking to the very bottom where no one could find it. The screaming, however, didn't stop. It simply turned from Naru, accompanying Casper as his fists hit the nearest tree so hard that it went through to the rings of the bark. Then, it dropped as Casper flung himself onto his knees, crouching in a near-fetal position, pounding his bloodied knuckles into the ground with howls of torment.

"_It's my life..."_

Naru covered her mouth, ignoring the tears that came down her own face. It was her old feelings, the old anger that never manifested as violently, but nevertheless lived within her for hundreds of years, played out in front of her with an animal ferocity. It made her remember the endless days and nights of loveless hugs, silent comparisons, and dead blue eyes as they looked at her with pity. No birthdays, no Christmas, no true parental attention, no warmth all returned again, with more vividness than had been experienced through that day.

All Naru could think of was how many times more it hung upon Casper, and she realized what it was like to be Chibi-Usa, to be the one who had to forgive and be forgiven at the same time.

"I'm...sorry..."

Whimpering, Naru grasped at the tree root, pulling it as hard as she could, until it finally snapped. There was a slight dull pain in her ankle, but it was a fleeting pain; she would recover.

_Casper...san..._

Wiping her nose, Naru crawled over to, and sat in front of, the quivering Casper. He still heaved violently with wails of anguish, though his voice was becoming hoarse from screaming. Naru placed a hand on his back, only to draw it back at his next shudder.

_We are...the same._

Slowly, reluctantly, Naru held out her hands again, and placed them on his shoulders. She drew herself closer to him as slow as she could, hoping that he wouldn't attack her, wondering what would happen next. She didn't hear the distant shouts that began to echo through the shadows; all she knew at that moment was Casper.

_Casper...I know it would sound strange..._

"_NARU!_"

Hitoko was the first to burst into the scene, with Chibi-Usa hot on her heels. Ranami, Uromamo, and Gunther were somewhat behind; Tourmaline herself had come, following Chibi-Usa as soon as Hitoko and Chibi-Usa had informed her that Naru and Casper were gone.

But they did not see what they were expecting to behold.

_But...there is someone out here...who does love you._

Naru had her arms around Casper in a tight hug. Casper did not hug back; there was too much for him to take in for him to return the favor. He simply buried his face in her chest, bawling.

"I'm sorry," he kept repeating over and over as shook. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

Naru didn't respond. She held Casper's head in her hand as he cried to her. She knew he was sorry. She knew that it would take more than a simple hug to fix everything that was wrong with his life.

But a simple hug was a better start than a dagger through the heart.

_That is...me..._

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	9. Going Through the Rift

_**MISPERCEPTION**_

_**Going Through The Rift**_

"Thank goodness."

The soldiers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as Tourmaline finished speaking. Just as Tourmaline had been concerned for Casper and Naru, it was the same for the sailors, though they did not know the full story. All they knew was that Casper harbored a hatred for Naru – they simply didn't know.

"I'm just glad no one died," Rei mumbled. "Otherwise there'd be a lot to explain to Naru-chan's parents."

"Do you really think he would have gone through with it, Tourmaline-san?"

"...I do not know." Even Tourmaline looked a little shaken. "As much as I know about a child's history, I certainly can't predict their actions – I'm not a psychiatrist. There are just some things that cannot be predicted no matter how certain it seems. But it if for them that I did this; you know that."

"I'll second what you said about prediction." Haruka could only shake her head. "That was too close."

The others nodded in silence as they finished off their coffee and tea. Setsuna, as she finished off her drink, looked over at a pair of figures who sat within sight of the table. Vazgorth's bruised face was filled with contempt and disgust towards the grown-ups; Kousagi's was merely contemplative.

"You know...I have a question." Makoto swirled her drink around once or twice before she took it down with one gulp. "Tourmaline-san, out of every single dimension, why did you decide to hold this get-together

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, I agree with Mako-chan. Why this dimension?" Minako blinked. "Why not someone else's?"

"Well..." Tourmaline paused. "I'm worried that it's a little complicated..."

"Still, we should know, right?"

"Minako-chan." Michiru's voice was low. "Don't be so rude."

"It's ok." Tourmaline's face light up. "Just a moment. I think I can explain it."

With that, Tourmaline passed Vazgorth – who simply glared at her – and Kousagi – who simply didn't look up. She came up to a tree and tapped on it; on impact, the bark slid away to show a computer screen.

"The outpost database for the dimensional folder." A keyboard appeared underneath the screen. "I put this in a few nights ago, before I introduced myself to you. From here I've been activating the folder in your dimension."

She punched in a few letters, and the screen came to life. The girls huddled together as they watched various images flash on the screen. Many of them were diagrams and charts; some were images of children, some were of the sailor soldiers themselves, but they looked noticeably different in their bearing, their height, their clothing, their faces.

"I chose your dimension because it was the most stable, and most dominant of all the dimensions I'd searched." A blank screen came up, and Tourmaline quickly typed in a password. "There is a reason for this."

Instantly, another image appeared. This one, however, was an odd-looking image, one that looked like a tree branch with crooked branches, an artery with countless capillaries. It started at the bottom with a large line that then squiggled violently through several hundred smaller lines, which in turn meshed with one another and spread out with thousands, even millions, of even tinier lines.

"This," Tourmaline pointed to the largest line, "Is the line of your dimension. Yours is the most dominant one on the chart of approximately 2 trillion. Naturally, I've not managed to access that many of the realities, but it doesn't matter, as 98 percent of the dimensions are basically similar to the 138 most dominant dimensions, represented here right now."

"Really?"

"Wow..."

"Amazing!"

"Take a look, Setsuna." Haruka pointed towards the screen. "This is part of what you help protect. Mind boggling, isn't it?"

"...Indeed." Setsuna stared. "Though, I'm thinking from what Tourmaline is showing us, that I'm glad I just protect one time line. I think I'd lose my mind after the first ten. They all start and finish at different points...it would be confusing even for me."

"Actually, Setsuna-san..." Tourmaline shook her head. "You _do_ protect more than one time line, so to speak. Theoretically, every time dimensions cross, the possibilities of each time line intermingles and can create new dimensions. That's why, in many dimensions, certain events that were deemed certain to occur may or may not happen. Hence why so many possibilities still exist even within this one dimension for a variety of events to occur in the future."

"Such as...?"

"How about...Chibi-Usa's birth." Tourmaline smiled slightly as she punched in a few numbers. "Despite the fact that she exists in approximately 3,552,029 dimensions at this very moment..."

"WHAAAT!"

Minako's eyes widened at this. Her mouth also dropped, though Rei managed to save her jaw before it hit the floor.

"Calm down, Minako-chan..."

"Her birth has come up quite a few times in many of the children. Actually, this incident originally appeared while I was doing my doctorate thesis five years ago, on time line tampering."

"Chibi-Usa. As in...she wasn't born in a lot of the dimensions?"

"Yes, though everyone in those dimensions thought she was 'supposed' to be." The images of Ranami, Naru, Kousagi, Uromamo and many other different children appeared at the touch of a button. "A good half of the children that are here right now, were born into a dimension where Chibi-Usa appeared in the past to fight the Black Moon. Several of them became younger or older siblings to Chibi-Usa, but most of them...replaced her. As a result of the latter situation, several of the Serenitys and Endymions attempted to change the time line to have Chibi-Usa brought back to them. These attempts by the couple and the solder to 'restore' the timeline..."

"That's a subjective word if I ever heard one..."

"...invariably met with...some different results. This here is the primary search I did when I first started my thesis on disrupting the integrity of all the time lines."

Typing in another set of passwords, several pictures appeared again on the screen, with their respective dimension numbers noted underneath. There were many of them, and so Tourmaline scrolled down slowly, so that the senshi could take in the results.

Only two of them had Chibi-Usa and another sibling, and one with just Chibi-Usa. Three had the errant sibling without Chibi-Usa. None of the children in the pictures, not even Chibi-Usa, looked very happy at all. That equaled, out of Tourmaline's primary test of 250, 6 tests that produced any degree of success.

The rest of the images were eerily blank.

"My...god."

It was really the only thing anyone could think to say at the sight. What was especially sobering to the senshi was how empty the eyes of the children that survived were. They seemed unhappy, unfulfilled. What else was unnerving was the thought that they could allow such a thing to happen to a child – to the soldiers here, at least, at that moment, the risk, even for a child they took for granted would be born, seemed too great to fathom.

"Then...It's not worth it, is it?" Minako's head came down. "Regardless of the child. It's cruel to do that to anyone."

"Is it?"

"..Don't you think so, Tourmaline?"

"Officially, I am a scientist," Tourmaline responded. "I am supposed to be impartial to these results and treat them as impersonally as I would any science project. They are merely the results of the scientific process and of theory; their parents should have seen these results coming and anticipated the possible loss of both children."

"And unofficially?" Michiru looked at her. "What does Tourmaline-san say?"

"...It is unforgivable." The frankness of her voice brought shivers to everyone's spine. "And what is worse, Chibi-Usa was not the only child subjected to this. You know of Casper by now, how he was born instead of Naru in his dimension. It's the same thing with her, and many others, as a result of the intersecting dimensions; the parents wish to 'restore' them as well. I have not even done thorough research on any other child and attempts to 'restore' _them_, but...I know it's being done. And those success rates cannot have been much higher than that of the attempts to 'restore' Chibi-Usa."

With that, Tourmaline took in a deep sigh and turned away for a moment, rubbing her face. The girls simply stared at her in silent agreement; they knew what else was on her mind when she spoke. They all remembered when she talked of her past, and how she was treated. How many of the children gathered were not always well-treated, or loved by their parents. To them, at least, it was a travesty that they thought they were incapable of. Unfortunately, Tourmaline proved them wrong.

_...No._ Setsuna closed her eyes and nodded, her thoughts echoed in the minds of the other sailors. _If it happened here...even if another child had been born in this dimension, I would never have allowed it. Especially not now. Not after today..._

On the screen, the pictures suddenly disappeared. The crooked lines beeped, and the image of the intersecting veins of reality also vanished.

_I will tell Usagi, and Mamoru. I will tell them of this. They will learn of all these children, somehow..._

**FLAAAAAAASH**

Suddenly, the computer screen blanked out, and in front of the tree, a giant rip of light appeared, throwing everything into shadow. Tourmaline gasped at this, while the soldiers threw up their hands to shield themselves.

"What's happening!"

"My eyes...can't see...!"

"Are we gonna die?"

"Oh my!" Tourmaline pressed several buttons on her computer. "It appears they're early. I wasn't expecting this..."

"Who's early?"

"Seranezar and Enzayamadon." Tourmaline sighed as the gap widened. "I was hoping we could at least clean up before they arrived..."

"Sera...wait a minute!" Haruka turned to Tourmaline. "Not that brat's parents!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As two figures began to materialize, Vazgorth stood up and began to cackle madly. His hands balled up into fists raised towards the sky, and he glared at Tourmaline evilly.

"At long _last_!" He pointed to Kousagi and laughed. "So, you think you've won! We'll see how you think once my parents make you my personal slave, to do as I please!"

"Hmph." Kousagi's head was still down. "Leave me alone."

"Ha! I was right. You are nothing but a weakling." Turning away from his adversary, Vazgorth started walking. "Look at that, foolish adults! My parents have finally come. Now, you will all be tortured to the fullest extent by the Tyrants!"

"...I haven't told you that you can come out of time-out."

"Go to hell." Vazgorth kept walking, ignoring Tourmaline's order. "I don't answer to your insignificant demands now. With my parents here, I will have my way with you and you all shall be punished!"

The light of the dimensional rip lessened as the two walked out onto the grass of the park. Seranezar and Enzayamadon were truly a sight to behold; both were tall, pale, and with long black hair and cold blue eyes. Both wore black capes lined with human skin to conceal their garments – the lady in a black leather shorts with fishnets, knee-high boots and no top save for a massive silver bauble which barely covered her breasts, the gentleman in a leather kimono with a wrap made of human sinew and silk and golden skull rings on every finger. Each held skull-crested rods, which they pointed towards Tourmaline.

"Good afternoon, mortal woman." Enzayamadon spoke first. "We have finished our intergalactic expedition, and are here to pick up the Future Emperor of the Galaxies, our son Vazgorth."

"HERE!" Vazgorth ran straight at his dad. "I'M RIGHT HERE, FATHER! YOU'VE FINALLY COME!"

He flew into his father's arms, which hugged him tightly. Vazgorth looked over at Toumaline with an evil smile as he was reunited with his father; alongside them, Seranezar looked at a butterfly that was flying by, a look of disinterest on her face.

"Rei-chan." Makoto looked at Rei-chan as the female tyrant pointed a finger at the butterfly, causing it to combust. "Is it just me, or do I want to take out my transformation pen?"

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because." Rei watched as the remnants of butterfly guts fell to the ground; Seranezar and Tourmaline met eyes, and they silently went off to the side. "These two hate sailor soldiers. They kill every one they find. Even us in their dimension."

"...Damnit."

"PAPA! **PAPA!**" A snicker was on Vazgorth's face as he spoke. "We have to hurry, and destroy this world right now! I've been here all day, and I figured out a way to destroy these miserable creatures with as much brutality as possible. And then...and then...with that horrible lady's invention, we can go out and conquer all the other dimensions!"

"My son..." The cold eyes did not show it, but Enzayamadon was clearly confused. "What has happened to your face? It is bruised."

"_She_ did it!" Vazgorth vindictively pointed to Kousagi, who said nothing in response. "So, we can kill her second, after we kill that disgusting woman over there who kidnapped me and take her invention. And I get dibs on how we can slice her skin off!"

"...My son." Enzayamadon looked at Kousagi, sizing her up, before looking back at his son, confused. "You were not kidnapped. You were brought here on my orders. And why would you even pick a fight with such a _lowly_ creature? She does not look worth the time of our illustrious blood."

"...What?"

Vazgorth looked visibly stung at his father's words. He broke off the embrace and stared at his father, his mouth open.

"But...but..." He pointed an accusatory finger at Kousagi. "She tried to kill me! Father, that is a breach of the law! It cannot go unpunished! Surely we can whisk her away to our world and destroy her-"

"_Vazgorth_!"

Everyone turned towards Seranezar, who stood right in front of Vazgorth and Enzayamadon. Her eyes were flashing red, and black lightning was crackling around her body.

"Foolish, weak boy!" She pointed her rod at her child menacingly. "You are a disgrace to our family and to our heritage! Mingling with such people haughtily...showing off your might in such a way!"

"_Mother_!"

"Husband." The woman looked at her mate with cold eyes. "You remember that we promised the keeper of the dimensional gate that out child would not cause trouble under her supervision. We told her we were not interested in this dull and dead dimension, for it was a place with nothing to offer us. And what does our stupid child, whom also vowed not to make trouble if he were left under the care of others, do? He sullies on our good name and tramples on our word as rulers to the gatekeeper herself!"

"Mother! Father!" Shocked, Vazgorth reached out to his mother. "You don't understand! I had to break that vow...these simple-minded creatures...these adults weren't caretakers, they mocked me...they lie to you...they-"

"**_SILENCE!_**" Seranezar's voice boomed as she grabbed the boy by his ear. "YOU SHALL NOT LIE TO ME! I AM YOUR **MOTHER**!"

Everyone, and Kousagi in particular, watched with a twinge of fear as Seranezar pulled Vazgorth away from his father and towards the portal, her eyes blazing with hatred towards her son. Vazgorth, on his part, screamed as loud as he could; his eyes were wild with fear, and he tried in vain to get away from his mother.

"You shall be punished fittingly for this..." Seranezar's seething voice echoed as she stepped into the portal with her child. "You shall be barred from our next expedition, and you will lose _all_ of your imperial titles for three weeks..."

"NOOO!" Vazgorth's pain was very satisfying for the senshi to watch. "FATHER, SAVE MEEEE...!"

With a flash of light, Seranezar and Vazgorth disappeared into the void, their forms gone from the 15th dimension. As the left, Enzayamadon stood up, standing in front of Tourmaline.

"I thank you for taking care of our beloved child, Chiba Tourmaline-san," he responded brusquely. "Such as he was."

"It was...a pleasure, your majesty."

Nodding in return, the king turned his heels and walked into the light. As his body went in, the portal flashed one last time before dying out, the rip in reality re-sealed by an unseen force.

"...Thank _god_."

As everyone else celebrated the departure of Tyrant Vazgorth, Kousagi still sat, her head down towards the ground, as if she were still in contemplation. However, there was a wide smile on her face as she clenched her hands together and closed her eyes tightly, to contain her excitement.

_**I WIN!** _In her mind, she was pumping her fist up and down, being carried in triumphant procession but countless bunnies and her friends from the 7th dimension. _YEEEEEAH! I WIN I WIN! WIN WIN WIN! WOO HOOO...!_

It was, without a doubt, the proudest moment of her young life.

----------------

The sun was finally beginning to set, after a long, arduous day. Only half an orange orb could be seen by the people in the park; everyone knew that their time together was almost up.

"...I really wish we _did_ have cupcakes."

"Hm?" Ranami looked over at Hitoko. "What are you talking about?"

"...Nothing."

Chibi-Usa couldn't help but smirk at Hitoko's comment as the group sat down once more on the ground, looking up at the sunset as it threw purples, greens and blues into the clouds in the sky. For the most part, the group had been silent, allowing the events of the day to sink into their minds.

"Well." Chibi-Usa looked up. "If you ever come back, I'll make you some goodies."

"That's an if." Ranami crossed her legs. "Such technology that Chiba-san possesses isn't something that can be used casually. I wouldn't be surprised if she destroyed it after everything was said and done."

"If she destroyed it..."

Naru gave a sigh as she looked over at Casper. He wasn't talking to or looking at anyone else in the group; he simply stared at the scenery, his eyes swimming with emotions. He was, however, holding Naru's hand; Naru wondered how someone's fingertips could be so cold, yet the rest of his hand so warm. She herself had changed, out of her regular clothing and back into her nightgown, in anticipation for the inevitable.

"But...there's so much we could learn from each other." Naru turned back to the others. "So much we could do together."

"We're from other realities, Naru-chan." Ranami pushed Gunther as was as he tried to lean on her. "You included. We can't simply stay together forever."

"But...we're related. We're brothers and sisters in a sense, right?"

"Yes, but..." Ranami licked her lips. "We've already been together long enough."

There was another silence after Ranami's words. A cloud passed across the setting sun, casting a shadow over the group as they all groped around for something to say.

"Still..." Naru looked down forlornly. "It's not right, I think. To introduce us, and then have us be apart again for the rest of our lives. There's still so much we could do together, don't you think?"

"I think..." Hitoko paused. "That my parents would be asking a lot of questions if I kept disappearing from their house."

"Me too." Ranami stretched, rolling her eyes. "As the heir to Earth, I'm supposed to be sequestered in the palace at all times. Any time that my parents find that I am outside the castle walls, even if its to go to school, can be cause for international alarm."

"...My parents don't care." Gunther smirked as he tried again to close in on Ranami. "They think I'm playing cards anyways, so they never bother to ask-"

"Well." Ranami's fist flew out, but stopped an inch away from Gunther's face to convey her obvious message. "We can't all have parents like that, _can_ we?"

"MEEEEP!" Gunther's head swerved back. "I guess not! Urk!"

"My parents wouldn't care, either."

Everyone turned their heads towards Casper as he finally spoke for the first time in a half hour. He released his hold on Naru's hand and stood up slowly.

"I don't want to go back." His voice was low as he turned away. "I really don't. I know what'll be there when I return."

"M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-me n-n-n-neither." Right behind Hitoko, Uromamo cowered. "I...I'm sc-scared...to g-go back home..."

"Uromamo-chan." Hitoko shook her head. "You're not going back there. You're going back with Tourmaline-san, remember?"

"...Y-yes." Uromamo nodded. "I'm just s-s-saying, n-n-n-needles and pills are b-b-bad."

"Right." Hitoko nodded with a smile. "They are bad..."

"We have to go back." Naru sighed. "The rest of us really don't have a choice, anyhow. I just don't want to go back to my bedroom, go to sleep and never see you guys again."

"You should have brought a camera, then." Chibi-Usa held a finger up. "Then you could have taken pictures!"

"...I distinctly remember _you_ packing my bag, Chibi-Usa-chan."

At this, everyone couldn't help but chuckle at the pink-haired girl's expense. They were not nervous or forced; the group was genuinely laughing. Even Chibi-Usa had to slap a palm to her head, roll her eyes, and let out a giggle at the irony of what she did.

"Hey, you!"

"Waaaai!"

"Come on, don't run! I said _don't_ run!"

Suddenly, children began to stream past them, hollering and screaming. One hundred children at once, of every age and look, were shepherded along by the sailor senshi, away from the lake and away from the sunset.

"What...?" Everyone who wasn't sitting stood up, startled. "What's going on now?"

"Vazgorth...?"

"I thought he was in time-out."

"Uuugh, not _him_ again..."

"Hey!"

The teenagers turned around at the sound of the voice to face Makoto. The brunette was holding in her arms two of the youngest children to come through the folder – a little blonde three-year-old girl and a green-haired four-year-old boy who had been peaceably playing in the sandbox the whole time, with naps in between.

"Come on." The group looked at each other as Makoto motioned behind them. Behind Makoto, the last of the sun dipped behind the horizon. "It's time to go."

----------------------

All around them, in front and behind, the children were all leaving. Through the large rip created by Tourmaline, they went home; the process took some time, as Tourmaline had to program each child's dimension into the folder before allowing anyone through.

"So..."

"So?"

"That was fun."

"I guess it was." Ranami crossed her arms. "Barring your card playing."

"You're just mad that you kept losing to me."

"Shut up."

"Heheh." Gunther grinned. "You're not _that_ mad at me, are you? Considering, you know..."

"I...suppose not." Ranami looked up. "But of course you have the sense not to go telling everyone you know about you and me."

"...Can I at least tell my mom and da-"

"**_No._**"

"I don't want them to think I'm _completely_ hopeless!"

"...Fine." Ranami turned around and gave a smile before she entered the rip. As she turned to do so, however, she placed something into his hands. "But don't tell them my name. All right?"

"Um, sure." Gunther looked down at his hand before looking back up at Ranami's disappearing figure. "I'll see you around, I guess?"

"See you..."

Gunther couldn't help but blush profusely as the rip flashed around Ranami, sending her back to the 86th dimension. He closed the sword-shaped earring in his fist before placing it into one of his pockets, a giddy grin on his face. Finally, as Tourmaline raised her hand for him to proceed, Gunther himself stepped into the rip.

_Heheheh..._ The light enclosed onto him, and he disappeared back towards the 76th dimension, numerous thoughts of Ranami's bountiful behind on his mind. _Until we meet again, princess!_

-

"Come on, you." Hitoko nudged the person in front of her gently forward. "It's time for you to go now."

"Ok..."

Kousagi walked into the rip first, disappearing into the light. Hitoko nodded as she was sent back to the 7th dimension; she had to admit that the lavender-haired girl had some gumption to fight such a brat like Vazgorth, even though she was punished for it.

"Your turn next, Hitoko." Tourmaline turned back towards her computer. "I just need to put in the coordinates."

"Ok..."

Hitoko looked over at Uromamo, sitting in a chair next to Tourmaline. Her heart melted at the sight; the boy had been given a teddy bear by Tourmaline, to calm him down while everyone was leaving him. Reassured, Uromamo sat cross-legged and contentedly, hugging his teddy bear tightly. She didn't say good bye to him; she didn't want him to think she was being taken by anyone, and thus scare him with nothing else to hold onto.

_Good luck, Uromamo-chan...and Chiba-san._

Her gaze was suddenly drawn to an oval odango which appeared in her vicinity. With a smile, Chibi-Usa gave her two thumbs up.

"See you around!" She grinned. "Chocolate cupcakes are better!"

Hitoko couldn't help but laugh as she went into the rip on Tourmaline's signal. As she was drawn back to the 3rd dimension, she vowed to one day return, and to prove to her half-sister, once and for all, that marble cupcakes were better.

It felt good to be happy for once.

-

"Are you ready?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ready." Naru looked up at Casper. "To go back."

"...No." The red-haired boy looked down. "I don't want to go back."

The two were almost up to their turn in the rip. Soon, they would be separated; they would be back in their realities, and they were both unsure of what would happen next.

"I wish..." Naru placed a hand on her neck. "I wish I could go with you. Maybe, talk to your parents. Something..."

"What you've done is the best you can do," he responded sullenly. "You can only do so much."

"I know." Naru shut her eyes. "Casper-san...I'm so sorry."

"No." Casper looked away. "This was my fault."

"Being born _isn't_ your fault."

"I wish my parents felt differently."

They fell silent yet again. Several people ahead, Judy Charleston leaped into the rip, almost falling flat on her face as she tumbled back into the 38th dimension, broken Edison doll in hand and a scream in her throat that could shatter diamonds.

"I..." Naru looked up at Casper with a sad smile. "It was wonderful to meet you."

"Really?" Casper gave a huff. "After I tried to kill you?"

"You'd be surprised how much I understand that." Naru looked down. "Chibi-Usa-chan did exist where I come from, for a time. But when I became Sailor Moon, she was erased and everyone else forgot about her. It didn't change what _I_ remembered about _my_ own life under her shadow, though."

Zandra Zukino walked through the rip proudly, and was enveloped into light. With little more than a smile on her face, she was whisked away to the 91st dimension, and into her private rooms on the SS _Smuckers_.

"Maybe...it's just a matter of time before your reality mends itself, for you to properly exist." Naru stared at the rip. "It was that way with me, and not too soon. If it had been later...everyone would have died."

"And what of your parents?"

"...They love me more now than they ever loved me in 900 years." Naru's voice masked a hint of bitterness. "But it can't take all the pain away. I just have to live through it, live on with my memories and with what might have been. And promise myself I would never do what my protectors did to any of my own children or, if it had ever happened, my siblings. That's all I can do to be the better person."

They were next. Tourmaline gave the signal that it would be Naru who would go in first. Naru slowly nodded, she took a step away from Casper, her head down.

"I'll remember."

"Huh?" Naru turned around. "Remember what?"

"...All that you've just said."

To Naru's shock. Casper gave her a smile; it was a real smile, not the slanted one that she was so used to, that hid his rage and anger towards her. Perhaps it was because she had said something that no one else had said to him, to not give up hope; perhaps it was because she had forgiven him when she took him into his arms and hugged him. Perhaps it was both. Naru was unsure, but in truth, it really didn't matter.

"Good bye, Naru-chan." He held up his hand. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"Maybe."

"Huh?" Naru turned to Tourmaline, who was still at the computer. "What do you mean?"

"...I know a lot of the people here have asked about what will happen to the folder." Tourmaline looked down. "I certainly won't destroy it; there's much to be learned about the nature of reality that can still be gotten."

"Will we ever be able to get together again?"

"...That, I can't be certain of." Tourmaline smiled. "But you can go home knowing that there's always a possibility that you may meet again."

The possibility of seeing Casper and Uromamo sincerely happy. The possibility for Chibi-Usa and Hitoko to find out which cupcake was the best. Or the possibility to see Gunther finally win Ranami, in public. Naru stepped forward to go into the rip.

"Naru!" She was stopped again by Tourmaline. "You had closed your eyes when you came here, so I have to warn you. When you step into the folder, you may pass through other realities on your way back to your bedroom."

"...Um...Thanks for the warning?"

"Don't mention it." Tourmaline pressed another button. "Goodbye, Naru. It was good to meet you!"

The light grew brighter as Naru took one last step towards the rip. She didn't have to go any further to enter; the light simply drew her in, its warm arms embracing her. She felt the howling wind, heard the voices, just as she had before. This time, however, she didn't draw back from it; she kept her eyes open and took in everything.

"I'm...not afraid.anymore."

"_Naru!"_

"Mother...?"

"_Naru-chan!" Usagi stood in the doorway of the old Tsukino house, her hands on her hips, an apron wrapped onto her waist. "Naru, what are you and your brother doing? You're getting yourselves dirty!"_

"_...Sorry, mama!" Seven-year-old Naru looked sheepishly at her five-year-old brother, Uromamo. "We were just playing..."_

"_Just playing! Doooh." Usagi grumbled as she walked towards them. "You know your father's birthday is today! How dirty you are..."_

"_I'm...not dirty!"_

_Another day in the life. Naru and Chjibi-Usa faced off in their bedroom, their eyes boring into one another with typical teenaged rage._

"_Yes you are. What did you spray on yourself, piss?" Chibi-Usa turned her nose up as she adjusted her pink leather jacket, glaring over at Naru's green argyle shirt, denim jeans and blue hair. "And your nose looks ugly with those glasses. No wonder you're single."_

"_This is Evelyn Rose perfume, for your information!" Naru towered over the pink-haired girl – currently, black with pink streaks - and laughed. "And speak for yourself when you talk about _ugly_. At least I don't look like a demented skunk!"_

"_Prude!"_

"_Midget!"_

"_Nerd!"_

"_Punk!"_

"Giiiirrrrls!"

_The two were interrupted by the sound of their mother. The smell of dinner suddenly filled their noses; it was tortoise testicle soup._

"_...I hate being your twin!" They snarled simultaneously. "Shut up, you! Stop COPYING off of me!"_

"_What!"_

_In a school. No one knows quite where or how._

"_I'm not copying off of you," the kid next to Naru whispered. "I'm just...looking."_

"_Well, don't look, Mako-chan." Clothed in the Juuban Junior High uniform, Naru covered her paper from Makoto, her eyes looking up and down as she wrote. "We're in the middle of an exam, if you haven't noticed."_

_Makoto simply gave a sigh as old woman Haruna cast an eye in her direction. With little motivation to complete the test, she simply doodled two random bodies onto her test sheet, and wrote underneath in shaky kanji: **THIS STINKS.**_

"_Naru...Chibi-Usa...!"_

_The Crystal Palace. Neo-Queen Serenity's eyes widened as she saw her two children – Naru, who had been born, and Chibi-Usa, whom she hoped would exist at the end of the mission, suddenly glow in an eerie light and, right in front of her eyes, quickly fade away._

"_...ther...!"_

"_NO!" She stumbled towards their forms, hoping to grasp them, perhaps save them before the time line made it impossible. "NOOO! COME BACK!"_

_It was of no use. She stumbled, fell, and with only a trail of glittering ashes in their wake, her two children were gone. She let out a scream of agony._

_The Timeline Restoration Project was an utter failure._

"_NO! NOOOOOOO!"_

"_I'm sorry, Usagi..."_

_A house, present-day Tokyo. A shapely, older Naru, her arms crossed, looked sternly at her young daughter as she cried. Next to her was a broken vase._

"_But you are going up to your room, Usagi."_

"_I'm..." Usagi's big eyes were filled with tears. "B-b-but I didn't mean to."_

"_I'm sorry." With a deft movement, Naru picked up her unruly daughter and brought her upstairs. "But you are not having dessert tonight. Not after what you just did."_

"_Can I at least get the peppermint stick?"_

_A market in Tokyo; again Naru. She is much younger, and with her is Ami, her mother._

"_You can have it," Ami looked at Naru. "As long as you promise not to have it until you eat your dinner."_

"_I promise!"_

"_Very well." Ami nodded to the vender. "We'll take it."_

"_Here you are." The man smiled. "That will be 100 yen."_

"_Now Naru...what do you say?"_

"_...ROLL CALL!"_

_Sapporo. Usagi looked at all six of her children as she and Mamoru took the morning roll before school._

"_Ranami!"_

"_Present."_

"_Yoshi."_

"_Here."_

"_Sara."_

"_Here!"_

"_Mamoru."_

"_Here..."_

"_Motoki."_

"_Mommy!"_

"_Naru-"_

"_MOMMY, MAKE VAZGORTH STOP!"_

_A world eerily like Xaxalax. The Tyrants have won another victory against their inferior enemies._

"_Naruza, Vazgorth!" Seranezar looks at both of her children angrily, a whip in her hand, as they were sequestered in a private room. "I have told you _repeatedly _to behave when we are publicly executing people!"_

"_But Mommy, Vazgorth pulled my hair!"_

"_Because you're a tattletale."_

"_AM NOT!"_

"_ARE TOO!"_

"_...That does it." The queen cracked her whip. "You are both done."_

_The two children's eyes widened as the guards grabbed them and turned them around. Pulling down their pants, Seranezar lifted the whip in readiness for the beatings._

_The screams echoed through the castle and lifted up into the sky, where no one could hear them._

_So many...so many of me. Through space, and through time, looking into the past and...into the future..._

_The future._

_A quiet day._

"_Casper?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Do you believe in freight?"_

"_What?" Casper looked down at the wide blue eyes, confused. "Freight?"_

"_The thing that disguises life." The blue eyes blinked under a mess of blue hair. "Like Pumo-san was saying to Mama."_

"_...Oooh! Of course..." His hand held onto a hand still lined with baby fat. "But I think you mean 'fate'."_

"_Well, do you believe in it?"_

_The two walked along a sidewalk in a glen, the leaves on the trees pinker than the young girl's cheeks as they swayed gently in the breeze. In front of them, the horizon dropped to reveal a large city in the vicinity._

"_I can't really say." Casper looked at the city, his eyes narrowing. "Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I do. It's been on and off for a long time with me, I guess. Why are you asking me about this?"_

"_Mama does. She said she did to Pumo-san."_

"_What mom and Pluto talk about isn't something you should be hearing of." Casper stopped as the little girl bent down to tie her shoe. "You're still just a little girl."_

"_I'm _not _little." The pout on the little girl's face was too cute for anyone to resist. "I'm gonna to be a kidding gardener, and I'm gonna go to school in Sebtemur. Just like you!"_

"_I'm in college now."_

"_So? I'm gonna be in school too. So, I'm not little anymore!"_

_Casper couldn't help but chuckle as the girl fumbled around with her shoelaces before finally setting them into an irregular knot. As the workmanship was shoddy, they would be loosened, soon enough, and she would have to stop again so that Casper would tie it for her in the correct way._

"_Mama said something else."_

"_What?"_

"_She said you went into the past."_

"_I did. It was a long time ago, though."_

"_She sounded real sad."_

"_There's always a lot on mom's mind."_

"_She was talking about you, too." Casper stiffened slightly at this. "She said she wished she wasn't so mad at you alongside Papa, and didn't talk to you, but she didn't know why she and Papa had been mad at you before. Because...Papa died when the bad people attacked, didn't he?"_

_Slowly, Casper nodded. It wasn't something that she was supposed to know, not for many years at least. It was the reason he had to return to the past, to enlist the help of old friends. It was the reason why their father died, just before the little girl was born._

_It was also the reason why no one remembered why they had been mad at Casper. For everyone else, it was an irrational anger; for Casper, he knew that he was not supposed to be born. Another had been slated to. And it was only when his father died during the invasion of the Black Moon that anything changed – he was the man who sent that other child into the past, where people who cherished her first met her. Where they first would have begun to hate Casper for what he wasn't._

_So he went to the past, in place of that other child, and time changed. All was soon almost right with the world; but his anger had been too intense, and the wounds too deep for him to completely forgive his mother even after she had forgotten her animosity._

_But he had come to realize that there was always hope. He somehow met _her _one day, before anyone in his reality even knew she was ever to be born; he only wished that she would grow to be as wonderful as he remembered her._

"_Casper?" As they walked on, Naru began to skip to his long strides. "I don't believe in freight. Believing in freight sounds like a dumb idea."_

"_...Yeah." As the two shadows strode together as they entered into the sunset, the glistening crystal city below them, Casper truly smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is."_

* * *

_"Misperception" is an unofficial fan work sequal based on Dejana Talis' short story, "Misconception". Certain characters and story concepts are being used with her kind permission. The story can be found by looking for Dejana Talis on this site and scrolling through her stories._


	10. Tea with the Guardian

_Dear Mother and Father._

_I know you are going to begin this letter with a lot of disillusion and doubt in your heart, and that is exactly why I am writing to you. The doubt must be vanquished and the truth must be revealed. This is Chibi Naru Neo-Lady Serenity, the girl you cherish and love, the one that you had longed for and, at the birth of your son, Casper, 900 years ago, thought you lost forever._

_You have been wrong this whole time. I am alive, and well, and living happily, as I should be, in my proper dimension. I am seventeen years old now in body, 905 in spirit, have become a sailor soldier, and helped saved the world alongside my friends and family. My life is now content. But it wasn't like that until very recently. _

_For nine centuries, I had to contend with living in the shadow of another girl, who was supposed to be born instead of me. Just as my not having been born has caused you and Casper nothing but pain, it was the same with me, who replaced a girl named Chibi-Usa, and my parents. My life was nothing but a nightmare. All I ever wanted was to be loved, and yet it always felt that no matter what I did, nothing could replace that perfect angel that had visited the past and been loved by my parents. They always talked of her behind my back; most of my protectors could not look me in the eye, or wanted nothing to do with me. There was even a project based completely on what went "wrong" with my birth that allowed me to exist instead of their beloved Chibi-Usa._

_I want it to be different for you and your son in a neutral reality, removed from my world and yours. However, upon meeting Casper, I'm worried it may already be too late. The same thing that happened to me growing up has been amplified tenfold with yourselves and Casper. I am not sure how civil I can sound while being angry with you, but I think I have a right to my thoughts. _

_Because no matter what child was born to you here, it is still your child, and Casper is still your son. You should cherish him and love him no matter what, instead of pushing him away and denying him a name and a family in your anger. All he asks is to be loved as yours, that's all. His birth to you was not a freak accident, or a tragedy that he should be blamed for. It was simply how it came to be. There was a reason he was born to you instead of me. It is only a matter of finding that reason and being a family while looking for it._

_Please, Mother and Father, heed what I am telling you. Throw your pride away and embrace Casper before nothing can be done to save him, or yourselves. I can only do so much, as much as I love him like my true brother; I realize that I may love him more in twelve hours than you have in several centuries, and this is not right for him._

_So I leave you with Casper to love, and with something to ponder. If you were to meet me as Casper did today, do you think it would automatically make your pain go away? The truth of the matter is that I met all the other children born to you in every state and every universe, and the answer is no. It may ease it for a fleeting moment. But it cannot go away without change._

_And change can only start within you. So please, let it start today._

_Sincerely,_

_Chiba Naru Neo-Lady Serenity_

_Princess of Crystal Tokyo_

_35th Dimension_

"So..." Pluto picked up her teacup. "You stepped off the plane from Beirut...What happened next after that?"

"Well..." Naru paused. "I went to go to international baggage claim with mom and dad. The next thing I know, there's this guy standing in front of me with panties on his head. No one knows why, no one knows how...but he stood there and asked me for directions to the international terminal like there was nothing wrong! I couldn't believe it!"

Pluto chuckled as she put her cup down and poured another round of tea into Naru's cup from the pot. Gratefully, Naru picked it up, a grin on her face. She glanced at her watch as she brought the cup to her lips.

"Well, Neo-Lady." Pluto folded her hands together. "You seem very bright and cheerful these past couple of weeks. What's happened?"

"What do you mean?" Naru grinned. "I thought you could see it."

"I do my best not to pry into people's personal lives with my power. It's quite rude," Pluto replied. "But...let me guess. Is there a new friend whom you have a...more than casual liking of?"

"...Sort of," Naru couldn't help but giggle as she again looked at her watch. "I guess you could say that."

"'Sort of'?" Pluto crimped an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"Well...it's more than one person."

"_More_ than one? How shameful, Neo-Lady." A rare smirk came on the time guardian's face. "I always thought you would get some boys in trouble when your time came. I suppose I was right?"

"...Sort of!"

Pluto paused at the next giggle of Naru's. Her ruby-red eyes noticed her charge again looking at her watch, a wide grin on her face. It was apparent something was going on, but for reasons she could not explain, she could not pinpoint what it was the girl was hiding.

"...You know..." The sailor took a wild, uncharacteristic stab in the dark. "It's not my birthday today, Neo-Lady."

"Oh, I know that."

"Then what are you hiding?"

"Oh, nothing." Naru's grin only became wider. "Nothing you won't soon see for yourself."

"I beg your-"

"_Puu!"_

Pluto's eyes widened as, all of a sudden, her teacup and the space around it started to fluctuate and bend violently. With a gasp, she dropped the cup on the table, jumped up and reached for her time rod.

"What in Charon-!"

"PuuuUUUAAAAACK!"

There was a momentary flash of light; the cup shook and disintegrated from the atomic pressure it was put under, a phenomenon Pluto had never thought to see. Then, the next thing the time guardian knew, there was a squeal of delight, a streak of pink in her face, and the unwanted sound of a body crashing into her table and breaking it in half.

Pluto's eyes widened. "Oh..."

"Hello, Puu!"

Naru smiled and waved to Chibi-Usa as she lay spread out on what remained of the table. With a sheepish look, Chibi-Usa waved back to her before sitting up, her own face smiling as well.

"Hey, Naru-chan! Look, I made it here again!"Chibi-Usa turned again to Pluto. "Hi, Puu!"

"Uh..." Pluto's eye twitched as she almost lost her grip on her rod. "I...uh..."

"That was Naru-chan's reaction too!" Chibi-Usa laughed. "How funny is that?"

"I did not react like that..!"

"Yes you did!"

"I did _not_!"

"...Uh...huh?"

"I clearly remember _not_ reacting like that."

"I remember." Chibi-Usa stood up to her full height, which was still formidable despite her chronic shortness. "You kept going 'Uh?' until Chiba-san came."

"Well, I..." Naru turned red. "Ok. I actually _don't _remember meeting Chiba-san..."

"A-ha!"

"How...?"

The two heads turned simultaneously to look at the time guardian. Pluto's eyes were as large as saucers, and her eye was still twitching.

"How...is this..." She looked at one, then the other, then back again. "I mean...Small Lady...you...you-"

"Shouldn't be born?" Chibi-Usa smiled. "I know, Naru-chan told me."

"Speaking of which," Naru looked at her watch again. "We don't want to be late."

"Right!" Chibi-Usa nodded. "Ranami would kill us if we were late for her party, especially since it's the first time she's been able to invite anyone who wasn't a servant or yes man."

"Not if Gunther said anything about it."

"She'd still kill us eventually."

"I...don't believe this..."

"...I wonder how Ranami explained all of us to her parents?" Chibi-Usa tapped her finger onto her chin. "Or maybe she didn't. I don't know. I myself have no idea where we're going until we get back to Chiba-san."

"Is...everyone else going to be there?"

"Is that a question?"

"Right, then." Naru stood up. "Sailor Pluto, it's time."

"Time...to what?"

"Time to go."

"Wh-what!" Pluto grasped her rod at this. "You can't be serious, Neo-Lady. First, Small Lady, now th-this..."

"We'll have you back quickly." Naru nodded. "Please come, Pluto! We need a Pluto at our party. All the other Plutos in our realities were too busy."

"_Other_ Plutos? Oh dear..."

"...Awww, Puu." Chibi-Usa frowned. "But it'll be so much _fun_!"

"I..."

Pluto couldn't help but smile. It wasn't just because she always relented whenever the pink-haired princess gave her that frown. It had been centuries, millennia, since she had seen that pout, and more so than that, it made her feel much safer about whatever was going on.

"...You'll tell me what's going on, right?"

"Of course!" The two girls responded in chorus. "It's a promise!"

"Right." Pluto smiled nervously. "I see."

"Let's go then!" Chibi-Usa took Pluto's left hand. "We'll tell you everything on the way."

"Just don't tell my mother or father." Naru took her right. "You have the present, right?"

"Yup!"

"Wonderful."

With that, the air around them again bent and brightened, and all three were sucked into the vortex. Pluto shut her eyes tightly, hoping she could get acclimated to whatever was happening. She had no doubt it would all be explained to her; she had seen in the girls' eyes that they had much to talk about.

_Yes...wonderful._

Naru smiled as she felt the journey end. She could already imagine it – Ranami chasing Gunther to beat him up for doing something inappropriate. Hitoko with Uromamo, helping him adjust to the strange new surroundings. Tourmaline standing next to the dimensional folder, aiding Uromamo as well. And Casper, smiling at her as she entered the reality, welcoming her with a great big hug.

For such a group of people to gather, with all their problems, their trials and tribulations, Naru couldn't have felt more blessed. They were from other universes, but they were together. They had beaten the odds.

_Thank you._

**THE END**


	11. Snapshots

_**Snapshots**_

****

_**WARNING:** The following contains spoilers. Please do not read this section until you have read the story first. Thank you._

**_

* * *

_**

_Chiba, Naru (Naru Neo-Lady Serenity)_ - 35th dimension. Princess of Crystal Tokyo; parents, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Named after Osaka Naru, the deceased friend of Tsukino Usagi. She was born on June 29th, 2000, which in her dimension negated the birth of Chibi-Usa, who was to be born on June 30th. She suffered through years of guilt, anger and uncertainty under her parents and the sailor soldiers before she herself finally became the next Sailor Moon. Once this happened, the aberration of her dimension's time line was fixed, and Chibi-Usa was effectively erased from her reality. She is the new leader of the original sailor soldiers; one can count Sailor Pluto and Sailor Mercury as her confidantes, if not good friends.

_Tsukino, Chibi-Usa (Usagi Small Lady Serenity)_ - 15th dimension. Princess of Crystal Tokyo; parents, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Named after the first Tsukino Usagi. Born on June 30th, 2000, Chibi-Usa was unable to age normally and could not become a sailor due to her geneology, and was thus subject to questions about her parentage. An attempt to prove herself ended with the invasion of the Black Moon, and prompted Chibi-Usa's famous journey to the past. After she became Sailor Chibi-Moon, she trained regularly in the past for two years, returning to Crystal Tokyo a stronger person and the true heir to the throne. She is the leader of the Sailor Quartet, and counts Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto, and Momoko Momohara among her best friends.

_Chiba, Tourmaline_ - 62nd dimension. Deposed "heir" of the Dark Kingdom and scientist; parents, Queen Beryl and Chiba Mamoru. Born on August 29th, 1997, Tourmaline's early life was filled with despair. Her mother was power-mad, her father was brainwashed, and both effectively abandoned her. Finally, Mamoru broke the spell on him and killed Beryl right in front of his daughter before using the Silver Crystal to end the Dark Kingdom. His inability to control the power properly, however, rendered him brain-damaged and disabled. Tourmaline was again abandoned before finding a stable home with Tsukino Kenji and Kino Makoto, the last sailor in her reality. Currently works at United Systems Lab, where she invented the dimension folder. Tourmaline has no notable friends, though she considers Sailor Jupiter her true mother.

_Casper_ - 49th dimension. Prince of Crystal Tokyo; parents, Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion. Born June 5th, 2000; named after the cartoon, "Casper the Friendly Ghost". From his birth he was practically abandoned, as they were expecting a girl by the name of Naru Neo-Lady to be born. As a male, he cannot access the power of the Silver Crystal and can never become a sailor soldier or hope to awaken with any real power. Growing up alone with the knowledge that his parents always saw him as a failure no matter what – they even went so far as to refuse him their surname – Casper became resentful of the phantom princess that he "killed", and vowed to somehow seek his revenge on her for destroying his family. Casper has no notable friends in his reality.

_Hino, Hitoko_ - 3rd dimension. Parents, Hino Rei and King Endymion. Born October 1st, 3010. Conceived to give Neo-Queen Serenity another child, Hitoko was part of a plot to take over Earth. Kidnapped at birth by Hino Ryoji, Hitoko was dumped in an orphanage and told that her parents abandoned her. Then, at fifteen, she fell in love with a man – hired by Ryoji - who convinced her that Hino Ryoji could save the world, and that she should help kill Neo-Queen Serenity. So Hitoko ran ran away to help "the cause". Thankfully, the plot failed, and the truth about Hitoko's "heartless" parents was revealed. Hitoko has no notable friends, but has started to build a relationship with her real parents and half-sister.

_Tsukino, Kousagi_ - 7th dimension. The Human Digestive Organ; parents, Tsukino Usagi and Chiba Mamoru. Named after Tsukino Usagi, Born July 1st, 1991. Unlike many of the dimensions where Usagi and Mamoru protect Earth, in the seventh dimension, Tokyo does not change in the future, and – a rare occurrence – there is a second child. An overactive third grader with a bottomless stomach, Kousagi was disliked by her mother's friends' children, and is allergic to cats. One day, however, a giant ball of rabbits invaded Earth, and Kousagi became Sailor Moon, leading her team to victory using all the cats in the world to counterattack. Kousagi is the leader of the new, as yet unnamed sailor group; she has no notable friends because her sailors still think she's an idiot.

_Tsukino, Ranami_ - 86th dimension. Heir to the Black Moon Family; parents, Tsukino Usagi and Prince Demando. Born July 8, BMY (Black Moon Year) 2. After Usagi and Demando unexpectedly banded together, they became Earth's sovereigns. Ranami is a product of their tainted union, which has withstood years of family infighting, political factioning, assassination attempts and world rebellion. As the future queen, Ranami's parents strove to ensure that she wanted for nothing, and raised her to carry on their cause. Ranami, however, has a problem with the cause: she despises her parents' hypocrisy in favoring the Nemesian elite and ignoring the people of Earth – the planet her parents claim to rule. Ranami has secretly kept up a letter correspondence with the exiled Sailor Venus, in an attempt to reconcile with her mother's former friends.

_König, Gunther_ - 76th dimension. Card shark; parents, König Wilhelmina and König Maxmillian. Born on December 8th, 1871 to this dimension's incarnations of Aino Minako and Chiba Mamoru, Gunther lives in a world where the Wild West still exists. An avid card player since youth, Gunther goes to as many prominent card tournaments as he can. Though still a teen, he gambles - and wins - a great deal of money, much to the chagrin of his U.S. Marshall father and pious Christian mother. Gunther is also an avid skirt chaser, though most of his expeditions into forbidden female territory end disastrously. As a result, he's also a fast runner. Gunther has no notable friends, but is currently looking for a special someone to lose his virginity to, and has possibly found a candidate for that and more.

_Chiba, Uromamo_ - 99th dimension. Human guinea pig; parents, Chiba Mamoru and Tsukino Usagi. Born July 21st, 2004, Uromamo is the unfortunate product of a male pregnancy. As a result of this, Uromamo's parents were shipped to a government laboratory and experimented on before he was born. Then, when Mamoru gave birth, the baby was taken away, and his parents disappeared. Without any protection, Uromamo was seen as a "sick" boy needing to be "fixed". He was poked, probed and drugged for 17 years to the point where it nearly killed him, turning him into a paranoid hypochondriac. He finally managed to escape, but he can never fully escape the demons that were implanted within him. Uromamo had no one, but now sees Chiba Tourmaline as his guardian angel.

_Tyrant, Vazgorth_ - 23rd dimension. Royal Moon Prince of Xaxalax and Future Emperor of the Galaxies; parents, Tyrant Seranezar and Tyrant Enzayamadon. Born to the evil rulers of the former Earth on January 1st, 341 TY (Tyrant Years), Vazgorth is a sadistic and cruel child. He enjoys conquering planets and killing people alongside his parents, and loves to see suffering in all its forms. His ambition is to be the ruler of the universe once his parents die, and to be crueler than they are when he is – which he is well on his way to becoming. Vazgorth has no known friends, as everyone is too scared of him.

_Charleston, Judy_ - 38th dimension. A screecher; parents, Serena Thomas and Darien Charleston. Serena was a sexy, single lawyer, and Darien was a brooding, mysterious cop when they met during a murder case. Riding through a series of death, secret pasts, stubborn fights and absolutely amazing sex, the two solved the case and saved each other from a life of single mediocrity. Judy is the product of their storybook romance. A precocious child, Judy has amazing vocal chords; the pitch of her screams have been known to cause an elephant to spontaneously combust. Judy has no notable friends, though she and Tsukino Kousagi have formed a friendship.

_Zukino, Zandra_ - 91st dimension. Space Girl of the Fifth Galaxy; parents, Zukino Zusako and Zukino Zamochan. Zandra has lived her whole life with the Zukino clan on a spaceship, the SS _Smuckers_, taking many excursions to various planets throughout several different galaxies. A normally bubbly child, Zandra has been prone to melancholy due to the lack of humans in the universe. Also, because she's never been on a planet for more than one month, she has very few real friends. Nevertheless, Zandra's dream is to grow up, earn enough money to buy a planetary stead, and raise yaks for a profit while amassing a lot of friends. Zandra has no notable human friends, but she has a furry talking kitten named Zuna.


End file.
